Justin Timberlake defied gravity at Pittsburgh’s PPG Arena on Saturday (December 14, 2024) night. That’s in the literal sense, but more on that later. Timberlake is currently on his “Forget Tomorrow World Tour,” promoting his new album, ‘Everything I Thought I Was.‘ The tour is his first in five years and runs until late next year.
The show features 11 songs from the new album, making up over a third of the setlist. But have no fear, because even if you aren’t familiar with the new material, the elaborate stage production and large backing band make you want to hear them, whether you know the songs or not!
The band, which Timberlake refers to as the Tennessee Kids, includes a full drum kit, piano, at least five-person brass section, guitars, backup vocals, and more.
Known for his elaborate stage productions, since he hadn’t been on tour in five years, Timberlake needed to really bring it on this tour, which, of course, he did. He proved Saturday night that he was born for the stage, a true showman, a song-and-dance man in the true sense. You wouldn’t know he took any time off at all. The stage is truly where he belongs.
DJ Andrew Hypes is opening the shows on this tour, and he seems to be living up to his name. Hypes played the gamut of typical club songs, everything from Def Leopard to Carly Rae Jepson. He also smartly sprinkled in some *NSYNC songs. The hour-long set might feel a bit overkill for some, but most of the crowd, spanning all ages, seemed to be eating it up.
Timberlake stepped onto the stage in a simple black outfit, with a white shirt and shoes, and kicked off the set with “No Angels,” one of the tracks off the aforementioned new album, during which he used the full space of the large stage, walking to the front, and then up the small steps and to platforms on either side, playing to the crowd as much as possible. The song didn’t have the same grab as some of the songs to follow, but it did allow the audience to get acquainted with the backing band, which arose from under the stage on risers behind him. It also features the lyrics, “Forget tomorrow, move like you wanna, babe. / There ain’t no angels here on the dance floor,” after which the tour is named. He followed that with “LoveStoned” and “Like I Love You,” both from early in his solo career.
The next song was the megahit “My Love,” which had a slower intro that featured an amazing falsetto back and forth between Timberlake and the backup vocalists. The show really felt like it kicked into high gear once this song got going.
When he finished, he paused to interact with the audience a bit, reading and responding to some hand-made signs, the most memorable moment happening when he took a selfie with a young 7-year-old, Selena, and her mother. It was the only thing she wanted for Christmas, according to her sign. It also happened to be her first-ever concert.
After a few more endearing interactions with the crowd, Timberlake sprung back up and said, “Pittsburgh, we came to party… The next one is for the couples.” The song was “Technicolor,” another new one that had Timberlake’s signature sexy dance moves, featuring a backup dancer wearing a short black dress and dancing in a spotlight, the two of them using the full stage once again.
“Sanctified” came next, a standout among the newer songs. During the performance, a giant 3D monolith-like rectangular prism, several stories tall, rose from the back of the stage and landed in the center. It would be a prominent feature for the rest of the show, displaying graphics and animated visuals corresponding to certain songs. “Cry Me a River,” for instance, featured large waves crashing all around.
What also seemed to become more evident during “Sanctified” was that this tour was less about extravagant dance moves. Of course, the show did feature a lot of dancing, but it didn’t seem to be the focus. Timberlake performed a bit, but most of the big moves were done by the backup dancers. People coming to the show expecting Timberlake to do some elaborate dancing might not be impressed, but after sitting with it for a bit, I think the show wasn’t about that. He seemed to be relying more on the musicality of the new tunes and letting the songs speak for themselves. I wasn’t sure what to think about that at first, but now I actually like it. It feels like a mature decision.
Don’t get me wrong, there were some cool moves, like the mic stand with a beam coming out of it during “FutureSex/LoveSound,” where Timberlake wielded it like a weapon, pointing it all around the stadium. Then he showed the crowd how to do a simple dance for the song “Imagination,” so they could dance along with him and the backup dancers.
After a handful more songs, including Timberlake on keys during “Señorita,” he left the stage and went into the audience, walking along the floor to get to another, smaller stage on the opposite side of the arena.
The smaller stage was used for more intimate songs like “Suit & Tie” and “Selfish,” where the arena shined their phone lights in the air. “This is my favorite part of the show,” Timberlake said. “I get to stand in the middle and look at all your beautiful faces.” He even busted out the acoustic guitar and sang a stripped-down version of “What Goes Around… Comes Around.” The small stage songs were one of the highlights of the evening. It’s a clever way to have both the big arena-style stage production and the quieter club-venue feel. Timberlake used this stage to interact more with the audience and express his gratitude to still be doing what he does, as if it was just luck and not also due to his obvious tenacity and constant hard work.
He bridged the gap from the small stage back to the main stage with the ever-catchy “CAN’T STOP THE FEELING!” and finished off the set with epic versions of “Rock Your Body” and “SexyBack,” the high point of the evening (so far), only to be surpassed by the encore to come next.
For the encore, the giant monolith, elevating above the stage, moved towards the center of the arena, with Timberlake atop. He performed “Mirrors” on the giant floating stage. At one point it tilted forward, and he became nearly perpendicular to the floor below, the harnesses securing him stretched tightly. It brought the house down. Any lingering doubts the audience might have had about the show were quashed with this one song. It alone was worth the price of admission.
For anyone wondering if Timberlake has still got it, have no doubt. The man is a true showman and doesn’t seem to have lost a beat over the nearly 30 years he’s been on a stage. It’s shows like this one that really solidify his spot as the global superstar that he is. And have no doubt that he will be here for a long time to come.
© 2025 CleveRock Music Portal. A PROUD SHAPE CLEVELAND PRODUCTION