Justin Timberlake Brought His “Sexyback” to Chicago for Valentine’s Day
“Hello, Chicago! And Happy Valentine’s Day,” Justin Timberlake, former NSYNC band member and 10-time Grammy winner screamed to the sold-out United Center Valentine’s night.
After canceling his Chicago show in October due to health issues, he played his heart out at the rescheduled event on Feb. 14. This show became the 90th stop on his “The Forget Tomorrow World Tour.” The U.S. leg of the tour began in May 2024 in Seattle, WA.
“The Forget Tomorrow World Tour” is Timberlake’s seventh tour of his solo music career and the first one he’s done within the last five years. This tour honors his nostalgic music and his most recent album “Everything I Thought It Was.”
The show opened with DJ Andrew Hypes, who played songs for all the different generations who attended. He played everything from the classic “Sweet Child O’ Mine” to NSYNC’s popular “Bye Bye Bye” to get the audience excited about the main event.
Hypes played until Timberlake emerged from a trapdoor on the main stage floor to begin a walk through two decades of his music. He played classics like “Cry Me a River,” “Senorita,” and the Trolls favorite “Can’t Stop the Feeling.”
He slowed down his performance by moving into the crowd to a smaller stage with his guitar and sang newer songs such as “Selfish” and “Until the End of Time.”
He was accompanied by the Tennessee Kids, a band that has played with Timberlake for several years. They played various instruments backing up Timberlake’s strong vocals, and dancers that engaged the audience.
Timberlake reworked some of his old classics, including a variation of different notes, different backtracks, and used instruments to change up his normal tracks. I have to admit, I was a bit disappointed that some of my longer favorites of his were cut short.
Since the majority of the music featured was newer songs, it seemed a lot of audience members didn’t know them, the energy for the classic nostalgia of his 2000s song was captivating.
One amazing movement I got to witness at the show was Project Conditions. This was a fan-led movement created to show Timberlake how much his fans support him. It began after the first show in Washington, where fans speculated on how they could show him their support.
Timberlake performed in Anaheim, CA shortly after his first show and was shocked to see that the whole arena was holding up signs reading “U R LOVED UNTIL THE END OF TIME.”
This tradition has continued at multiple shows and when I received my sign while taking my seat in the arena, I felt an overwhelming sense of joy. It read “HOLD THIS UP AT THE END OF UNTIL THE END OF TIME AND KEEP IT UP UNTIL JUSTIN SINGS SELFISH. @PROJECTCONDITIONS.”
Project Conditions also has a billboard that is currently located in Timberlake’s hometown of Memphis, Tennessee. Even if the movement is not set up through each specific venue, fans can visit their social media and print out their signs to show their support.
After Timberlake’s arrest in June 2024, fans were unsure about the continuation of his tour and the amount of support he would still maintain. However, the love circulating the United Center that night showed no signs of deterring support.
One fan story that caught my attention was from 22-year-old fan Casey, or @ch.asez on TikTok. When scrolling through concert videos during what most call “post-concert depression,” I came across the story of her experience at the show.
According to her video, she traveled into Chicago for a mere 36 hours so she could attend this concert. Upon talking to her, I discovered she commuted from Tampa, Florida because she was excited Timberlake was performing on Valentine’s Day. She has seen him a total of eight times and said that the show in Chicago was amazing.
“I’ve loved Justin since I was a little kid. The first song I remember hearing on the radio as a kid was “Cry Me a River,” she said. “I have been a huge NSYNC fan my whole life too, and Justin has just always been an artist I go back to.”
Overall, Timberlake put on a great performance with immersive stage effects, eye-catching visuals, and it gathered a community of people together for the love of nostalgia and rhythmic music.
If you are feeling a bit of “FOMO” after reading this recap, here is a playlist to the entire concert setlist!
