Audrey Gibbs
Nashville Tennessean
Published Dec. 13, 2024
On Thursday night, Tennessee's own Prince of Pop brought "sexy back" to Music City.
Justin Timberlake stopped at Bridgestone Arena in his home state on the "The Forget Tomorrow World Tour," delivering a high-energy, two-hour show.
The night featured his old and new hits alike, both glitzy, mesmerizing special effects and stripped-back intimate moments, and of course, a whole lot of smooth choreo.
It was clear the 43-year-old Millington, Memphis-born pop singer felt right at home throughout the night.
In the town where he used to live, has recorded music and pressed his records — and with his bar The Twelve Thirty Club only feet away — Timberlake surely meant it when he said, "Ain't no crowd like a Nashville crowd."
In a falsetto-fueled show sewn together with positive vibes and backing from Timberlake's band, The Tennessee Kids, Timberlake most certainly made his audience forget about tomorrow.
The Nashville concert follows the release of Timberlake's studio album "Everything I Thought It Was" in March, a record that included the hits "Selfish" and "Technicolor."
The "Forget Tomorrow Tour," which kicked off in April, marks Timberlake's seventh major tour and his first in five years. On the tour, he's hitting stops across the U.S., South America, and Europe before wrapping up in July 2025.
But the World Tour has not come without its own set-backs.
The Nashville show followed a slew of postponements from Timberlake.
In December, he canceled an Oklahoma City show due to a back injury he endured in New Orleans, where he performed on Nov. 25. In October, Timberlake canceled his Chicago, Grand Rapids, Detroit, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Columbus shows due to bronchitis and laryngitis. The dates were rescheduled to February.
Another challenge came in June when Timberlake was arrested for driving while impaired in the Hamptons, a charge that he plead guilty to, agreeing to serve 25 to 40 hours of community service at a nonprofit of his choice.
Despite any difficulties Timberlake faced in the back half of the year, none were present at his Nashville show.
And although no photographers were allowed into the concert, we'll do our best to paint the picture for you.
Flashing lights, floating platforms and hits spanning years
The night kicked off with DJ Andrew Hypes warming up the crowd with hits from NSYNC and tracks like "Must Be the Money" and "Don't Stop Believin'."
When the DJ addressed the crowd, saying, "If you left your kids at home tonight to party with J.T., scream!" most of the audience howled. Hypes confirmed it: The arena was mostly filled with '80s babies and '90s kids who booked a babysitter for the evening, and they weren't afraid to let loose.
Timberlake hit the stage around 9 p.m., ascending from a platform underneath the stage and starting the night out with his 2024 track, "No Angels."
He donned an all-black suit jacket and pants, a white shirt and sneakers, and a silver pocket chain.
As songs "LoveStoned," "Like I Love You" and "My Love" played on, the crowd was introduced to Timberlake's five back-up dancers and eight-piece band. It was a raucous, vivacious party on stage.
The back-up dancers, clad in all black à la Timberlake, shuffled and hopped, performed silky slides and precise, agile foot-work. They weren't the only ones with moves.
The four-piece brass section played their instruments as they danced, thrashed and shimmied — it was a sight. The guitarists somehow pulled this multitasking feat off, too.
And Timberlake himself showed off his famous dance moves.
As he sang, he thrusted his hips, moonwalked, and hit every mark with intense precision. Performing choreography that harkened back to NSYNC's boy band style, Timberlake infused his own trademark sensuality and flirty flair into the routines.
Timberlake's vocals brought the energy, too. His smooth voice was crisp and full of impressive riffs. Though, Timberlake did often move the mic away from his mouth to dance, inviting his audience to sing his refrains and letting the back-up vocalists' harmonies shine.
The night kicked off with a vibrant start.
Lights raced around the arena and on the stage as various graphics flashed behind Timberlake on the screen. A technicolor desert with cacti and vast stretches of land, a mountainscape, and an open road backed Timberlake as videos of the singer overlaid the graphics.
During tracks "Technicolor" and "Sanctified," the busy production only upped its wow-factor. A giant, floating rectangle — which can best be described as a suspended block of the stage — broke out from the screen behind him.
As Timberlake sang and danced, the platform turned in the air, displaying graphics and images on all of its sides.
During the track "Infinity Sex," the screen morphed into a blue and red lava-like, scaly substance. During "Cry Me A River," it displayed raging red waves.
As the night went on, more of Timberlake's older hits bubbled to the surface, including the 2002 track "Cry Me A River," 2006's "FutureSex/LoveSound" and 2007's "Summer Love," bringing the audience back to the early aughts. But the ground-shaking bass protruding through Bridgestone and brass-filed renditions of the tracks brought new life to old tunes.
Mid-way through the show, Timberlake took his party to a side stage on the other end of the arena, marching down the aisle through the crowd with his band members and back-up dancers while they played "F**kin' Up the Disco."
'You made a Tennessee boy's dreams come true'
After slowing the show down side-stage with simpler performance of songs "Suit & Tie," "Say Something" and an acoustic version of "Selfish," Timberlake addressed the crowd, saying he would try not to get emotional.
"This is a very special town for me," he said, standing with a guitar in his hand. "I have so many friends and family that are here tonight. So many people in this room tonight that believed in me."
"Every time I come back, this is what I get," he added, motioning to the supportive crowd. "It's unbelievable. I did dream about this when I was a little boy, but I never imagined it would be like this. It's more than everything that I could ever think it could be."
"I guess there's no other way to say it except ... you made a Tennessee boy's dreams come true. So thank you," he said. "I love you, Tennessee."
With gratitude, Timberlake closed out the night.
Tracks "What Goes Around... Comes Around," a very colorful version of "CAN'T STOP THE FEELING!" and "Rock Your Body" led up to a boisterous version of "SexyBack," which included raging guitar and plenty of hip thrusts.
Timberlake finished the evening with "Mirrors" as the encore. Returning to the stage, he appeared on top of the floating platform for the first time as it traveled over the audience.
The platform began to tilt, and Timberlake, secured in a harness, stood suspended on the platform and looking down at the crowd.
As he looked into the eyes of his fans, he sang: "And now it's clear as this promise that we're making / Two reflections into one / 'Cause it's like you're my mirror / My mirror's staring back at me, staring back at me."
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