Justin Timberlake's ageless falsetto hits all the right notes in hit-filled Phoenix concert
Justin Timberlake's Forget Tomorrow World Tour is an elaborate pop spectacle that ends with him performing “Mirrors” high above the audience while strapped into a harness on the front end of a massive floating platform as it tilts into the crowd, allowing gravity to tug against the safety of that harness as Timberlake leans into the moment.
As “Mirrors” is ending, he disappears off the opposite end of the platform as it’s tipping backwards, rappelling to safety, one assumes.
It’s a dazzling finish to a concert packed with high-tech bells and whistles, many of which revolve around that floating monolith, which begins the performance as part of the stadium-worthy wall of video monitors.
And yet, the most impressive elements of Timberlake’s performance when the tour hit Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix on Tuesday, May 21, were cut from more organic cloth.
Justin Timberlake 2024 setlist: 'SexyBack,' 'Cry Me a River' and much more in Phoenix
Justin Timberlake's vocals haven't aged a bit since 'Justified'
The man is a consummate entertainer whose magnetic personality often made that sports arena feel more intimate than any room that size has any right to be.
At 43, Timberlake’s vocals haven’t aged a bit since “Justified,” the 2002 solo debut that announced his arrival at age 21 as the former teen idol most likely to reinvent himself outside the context of his boy-band image.
That soulful falsetto has held up amazingly well, as used to breathtaking effect on “My Love,” “Pusher Love Girl” and “My Favorite Drug,” to name a few obvious highlights.
And his dancing was just as impressive in a two-hour concert where Timberlake rarely stopped moving, occasionally standing still as he played an acoustic guitar or keyboard.
He even threw some Temptations-esque spins into his time behind the Fender Rhodes that popped up from beneath the stage for “Senorita.”
Five backup dancers joined him in a night that somehow made the slickest choreography feel loose and natural. His horn players and backup singers even joined in.
Justin Timberlake and the Tennessee Kids brought the hits to life
JT and the Tennessee Kids, as he introduced his touring band, did a wonderful job of translating his music from the studio recordings to the concert stage, an 11-piece ensemble (or 12 if you include JT) with four horn players and three backup singers, all of whom provided stellar harmonies.
It was a joyous performance that benefited greatly from the chemistry between the singer and the other people on that stage and a smaller second stage at the opposite end of the venue, which they got to by grooving their way through the crowd performing “Play,” returning to the main stage through the crowd to the effervescent funk of the chart-topping “Can’t Stop the Feeling!”
Timberlake is touring on his first release in six years, “Everything I Thought It Was.” And Tuesday’s set was clearly in support of that release: He played no fewer than 11 of the album’s 18 songs.
But the audience that made Footprint Center feel like it was pretty close to selling out was clearly in his corner as he shared his new material.
Justin Timberlake concert highlights from 'My Love' to 'Cry Me a River'
The set included all his biggest hits, including such crowd-pleasing highlights as “SexyBack,” “My Love,” “What Goes Around… Comes Around,” “Suit & Tie,” a very funky “Pusher Love Girl” and “Can’t Stop the Feeling!,” which transitioned seamlessly into “Good Times” by Chic, when then gave way to “Rock Your Body.”
If you had to pick a highlight, it was almost certainly “Cry Me a River,” an intense rendition that had the audience throwing their arms in the air like they thought they were watching Metallica.
After greeting the crowd in an introductory video, Timberlake hit the stage with “No Angels,” a song from his latest release, rocking shades and a trench coat covering his suit and tie.
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Justin Timberlake bonded with fans at Phoenix concert
He wasn’t shy about connecting with the audience, frequently mentioning Phoenix.
Encouraging various sections of the audience to go ballistic and singling out a fan named Ryan who was cancer-free for 20 years, he spoke emphatically about how much this market means to him.
“Has it been six years?” he asked. “I’m sorry. That’s on me. That’s my fault. I take full responsibility. Six years. But we’re gonna make it up to you tonight, Phoenix.”
Later, coming out of the “FutureSex/LoveSounds” jam “Until the End of Time,” he addressed how much the crowd’s reaction meant to him.
“I’ve been doing this almost my whole life,” he said. “And to see you guys come out every time that I come back to see all your faces and to feel this love and this energy, I just can’t thank you enough. I’m so grateful for each and every one of you. Thank you.”
He ended that speech by promising it wouldn't be another six years before his next appearance in the Valley, adding, “I’ve got to take these moments and just soak them up. You guys are amazing.”
Then he addressed the fans attending their first JT concert.
“I hope all you freshmen who are here tonight, you feel the fellowship and the love,” he said, “because like I said before, it really is special and it’s something that I really don’t take for granted. It’s something that I’m going to remember for the rest of my life.”
Justin Timberlake 2024 setlist: Every song he sang in Phoenix concert
Here’s the entire song list from Justin Timberlake's concert at Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix on Tuesday, May 21, 2024.
A-Stage
"No Angels"
"LoveStoned"
"Like I Love You"
Medley: "Let Me Talk to You"/"My Love"
"Technicolor"
"Sanctified"
"Infinity Sex"
"FutureSex/LoveSound"
"Imagination"
"Drown"
"Cry Me a River"
"Let the Groove Get In"
"My Favorite Drug"
"Se?orita"
"Summer Love"
"(Expletivin') Up the Disco"
B-Stage
"Play"
"Suit & Tie"
"Flame"
"Say Something"
"Pusher Love Girl"
"Until the End of Time"
"Selfish"(acoustic)
"What Goes Around… Comes Around" (acoustic)
A-Stage
"Can't Stop the Feeling!"/"Good Times" (Chic cover)
"Rock Your Body"
"SexyBack"
Floating Stage
"Mirrors"
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Review: Justin Timberlake hits the high notes in Phoenix concert
