Live Performances and Cover Versions
Timberlake performed "Cry Me a River" for the first time at the 13th annual Billboard Music Awards, held on December 9, 2002 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The performance featured a string section and a 20-member choir, which accompanied Timberlake during the rendition of the song. Timberlake also performed the song at his first worldwide tour Justified and Lovin' It Live (2003–04). The song was the eighth song on the set list of Justified/Stripped Tour (2003), his joint North American tour with Christina Aguilera. Timberlake performed "Cry Me a River" as the opening song in a promotional concert held at House of Blues in West Hollywood, California on June 17, 2003.
In 2007, Timberlake embarked on his second worldwide tour, FutureSex/LoveShow (2007), to promote his second studio album FutureSex/LoveSounds (2006). "Cry Me a River" was the fourteenth track on the tour's set list. On October 23, 2010, Timberlake performed at the annual charity gig Justin Timberlake and Friends held at Las Vegas, Nevada. He started the show with a slow and "sultry" performance of "Cry Me a River" and segued into Bill Withers' 1971 single "Ain't No Sunshine" (Just as I Am). He later again shifted to "Cry Me a River" before launching into Drake's "Over". Jillian Mapes of Billboard described the performance as "completely lovely in an effortless sort of way."
American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift performed a cover of "Cry Me a River" in Memphis, Tennessee, during her second concert tour Speak Now World Tour (2011–12). Justin Bieber recorded a cover of the song together with Kanye West's 2007 single "Stronger" (Graduation), which he posted on his YouTube account. Canadian rock band The Cliks recorded a cover of "Cry Me a River" for their major label debut album Snakehouse (2007). The band's frontman Lucas Silveira explained why he decided to cover it: "I was going through a situation in my life where I had also just come out of a long-term relationship, and I really connected with the song." British singer Leona Lewis covered "Cry Me a River" during her debut concert tour The Labyrinth (2010). A reviewer of Sheffield Star described the version as a "beautifully, sitting quietly, almost a capella". American indie pop duo Jack and White recorded a cover of the song for their extended play Undercover which was digitally released in 2012. Recording artist Kelly Clarkson covered the song on September 1, 2012, as part of her fan request during her 2012 Summer Tour with The Fray.
Read more about this topic: Cry Me A River (Justin Timberlake Song)
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