Justin Timberlake exudes sincerity at Baltimore show a week after apparent joke about DWI
BALTIMORE – The volcanic talent of Justin Timberlake is unquestionable.
He oozes charisma and crooked grins, scoots across the stage as if his gleaming white sneakers were perched on a cloud and can still nail a falsetto as ably at 43 as he did as a boy band prince in NSYNC.
On the 27th date of The Forget Tomorrow World Tour Wednesday at Baltimore’s CFG Bank Arena, Timberlake worked to shake off the tarnish that accompanied his DWI arrest in New York June 18 with two hours of taut showmanship and apparent graciousness.
Midway through the two-hour show, while standing with an acoustic guitar on the auxiliary stage of the sold-out arena, he addressed the crowd.
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“I hope you feel this feeling we have had together for three decades,” Timberlake said. “You have been such a special part of my life … I have so much gratitude.”
It was much different than what was captured at his show a week ago when Timberlake appeared to make light of his arrest.
Timberlake had appeared to joke about his DWI arrest while performing at the TD Garden in Boston on June 29, videos shared on social media showed.
"Is there anyone here tonight that is driving − no, I'm just kidding," Timberlake said while addressing the crowd, stopping himself before finishing the sentence.
As the crowd cheered and laughed at Timberlake's apparent quip about his DWI, he finished the sentence in a different way, asking, "Is there anyone here tonight that it's your first time here to the show?"
Timberlake’s lukewarm new songs thrive live
Timberlake long ago reached pop icon status and this tour, which kicked off in April, heads overseas later this month and returns to the U.S. in October until the end of the year, has been such a firm success is testament to his ample catalog and enduring personal appeal.
His sixth album – and impetus for his first road show since 2019 – “Everything I Thought It Was,” is a lukewarm stew of R&B/funk/pop. All hallmarks of his sound, yes, but ones that flared more brightly on past works, even with modest hits “Selfish” and “No Angels” garnering radio attention.
But some of this humdrum new work received a boost in live form. “Technicolor” swooped from the harmonies of Timberlake’s three background vocalists and the freewheeling “Play,” which he sang while bopping down a pathway to the secondary stage, was funky fun.
However, the centerpiece of the stage production, a towering rectangular structure that served as a video screen, levitating lightbox and, at show’s end, a floating stage, was the most interesting thing about “Infinity Sex” and “Drown,” which featured the striking image of Timberlake being swallowed by water as he sang in front his mammoth visage.
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Justin Timberlake stages a fiesta of hits
Any tour behind a new album is going to be stocked with songs fans might not love yet, but Timberlake sprinkled enough hits to sate the faithful throughout the show.
Synth bloops merged with the clip-clop beat for a funkified version of “Like I Love You” while“My Love,” one of those falsetto showcases for Timberlake, eased into a booming kick capped with a sizzling electric guitar solo.
Members of his multitalented band, the Tennessee Kids, frequently joined him in lockstep with a dance troupe, reminding of the coordinated beauty of some Motown greats and Prince & The Revolution.
At one point, there were so many people on stage that it looked as if Timberlake were hosting his own Las Vegas club night as he and his comrades unveiled a fiesta trifecta of “Let The Groove Get In” (from 2013’s “The 20/20 Experience”), “Señorita” (its call-and-response bridge an everlasting concert staple) and “Summer Love,” performed under a torrent of lights.
Justin Timberlake continues to evolve as a performer
After ending his secondary stage segment with a guitar-centered version of “What Goes Around … Comes Around,” with a snippet of George Michael’s “Careless Whisper” sewn in, Timberlake pumped up the volume.
The effervescent “Can’t Stop the Feeling” proved the ideal song to accompany his bouncing back to the main stage, and its segue into “Rock Your Body,” paired with Chic’s “Good Times,” showcased Timberlake’s bona fides as a student of music.
With more than 30 years of entertaining on his resume – let’s not forget his start as a cast member on the Disney Channel’s “Mickey Mouse Club” – Timberlake dazzles as a polished performer. But even decades into performing live and blessed with a supple voice and inherent geniality, he continues to evolve. And that, too, is undeniable.
Brendan Morrow contributed to this report.
