American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake has embarked on seven concert tours during his solo career, five of which have been worldwide and two of which have been collaborative.[nb 1] His 2003 debut The Justified World Tour began at intimate gigs at clubs and theatres in the United States and Australia before expanding to arenas in Europe.[1] In summer 2003, Timberlake and Christina Aguilera headlined the Justified/Stripped Tour.[2] Later that year he recorded a song "I'm Lovin' It", used by McDonald's as the theme to its "I'm Lovin' It" campaign. The deal with McDonald's earned Timberlake an estimated $6 million. A tour titled Justified and Lovin' It Live was included with the deal, following his initial Justified World Tour.[3] For the release of his sophomore record FutureSex/LoveSounds, Timberlake embarked on his second worldwide tour FutureSex/LoveShow in 2007, which eventually became the third highest-grossing concert tour of the year. During the tour, he visited Asia, Europe, North America and Oceania.
The Justified World Tour (also known as Lovin' It Live and Justified World Tour and Lovin' It Live)[7] was Justin Timberlake's debut concert tour. The tour showcased material his debut studio album, Justified (2002). The video album Justin Timberlake: Live from London was released on December 15, 2003, by Jive Records. It documents Timberlake's performance at the London Arena on May 18, 2003.[8]
Justin Timberlake's first co-headlining venture, the Justified and Stripped Tour, featured American singer Christina Aguilera. The setlist was composed generally from Timberlake's Justified and Aguilera's Stripped. However, both artists also added material from their early works, including Timberlake's work with NSYNC and Aguilera's self-titled debut album. The Justified and Stripped Tour was divided into five segments, two for Aguilera and three for Timberlake, with each segment being followed by an interlude to the next segment, and it ended with an encore, lasting for a total of 160 minutes. An extended play, entitled Justin & Christina, was released exclusively at Target Stores to support the tour. The tour was met with mixed reviews from most contemporary music critics. Some praised the maturities of the two artists, while others criticized their vocal abilities during the tour. They also believed Timberlake's part worked his considerable sex appeal. The tour was a commercial success, becoming the sixteenth highest-grossing tour in 2003.
Serving as Timberlake's second worldwide solo tour, FutureSex/LoveShow supported her second studio album, FutureSex/LoveShow (2006). It was the third highest-grossing concert tour of 2007 and drew more than 1.6 million people.[11] Critics from Rolling Stone and The New York Times agreed that the show was "strictly grown and sexy" and Timberlake "has learned how to project sex-symbol edge."[12] It featured several opening acts, including P!nk, Good Charlotte and Fergie. On November 19, 2007, a live video album named FutureSex/LoveShow: Live from Madison Square Garden was released.[13]
The Legends of the Summer Stadium Tour was a co-headlining concert tour by Justin Timberlake and American rapper Jay Z. The tour supported Timberlake's third studio album, The 20/20 Experience (2013) and Jay Z's twelfth studio album, Magna Carta Holy Grail (2013). For a "special preview" of the tour both artists performed at the Olympic Park in London, United Kingdom as part of the Wireless Festival.[15] They performed in major stadiums across the U.S. and Canada.[4] It was praised by critics, with Billboard's Karen Bliss writing "there was no one-upmanship, just camaraderie, not competition, two guys that work well together."[16] With the 14 dates sold-out, it was the 15th highest-grossing tour of 2013.[17]
The 20/20 Experience World Tour was launched in support of his third and fourth studio albums, The 20/20 Experience (2013) and The 20/20 Experience – 2 of 2 (2013).[20] The 20/20 Experience allowed Timberlake to throw back to the big-band era,[21] its stage production embraced a vintage sheen and everyone in classic suits. Timberlake had a horn section onstage with him called The Regiment Horns, among the big-band orchestra the Tennessee Kids.[22] During the tour, Timberlake visited Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and Oceania. The tour received acclaim from critics,[23] became the second highest-grossing tour of 2014.[24] This made Timberlake the highest-grossing solo touring artist of the year.[18] Canadian singer The Weeknd featured as the opening act in selected North America dates.[25] Showcasing the final date of the tour at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena, the space-age themed concert film—titled JT + The Tennessee Kids and directed by Jonathan Demme—will premiere at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival.[26][27] The concert film was released on streaming service Netflix in October 2016.[28]
Timberlake embarked on The Man of the Woods Tour in support of his fifth studio album, Man of the Woods (2018).[30]The Man of the Woods Tour received positive reviews from critics and was the sixth highest-grossing tour of 2018.[31]Billboard critics ranked The Man of the Woods Tour as one of the best live shows of 2018.[32] David Menconi of The News & Observer said "Justin Timberlake returns to the stage and proves why he's America's pop star", and noted him as "The Prince of Pop". He also said of the show that Timberlake "Sang quite well... But he danced even better, and that's what turned the crowd on most of all. How he moved was at least as important as how he sang."[33] Chris Conde of San Antonio Current deemed it "an spectacle of undeniable talent... Even if you don’t like pop music, Timberlake's show was so rich in musicianship and showmanship that anyone wanting to say something bad would be hard-pressed to, ahem, justify a negative review."[34]
Timberlake embarked on The Forget Tomorrow World Tour in support of his sixth studio album, Everything I Thought It Was (2024). The Forget Tomorrow World Tour received positive reviews from critics. Reporter Stuart Derdeyn of The Vancouver Sun, stated "If you were at the launch of Justin Timberlake’s Forget Tomorrow World tour at Rogers Arena last night, you know you caught the best show the singer has ever played in Vancouver." And concluded that "The Forget Tomorrow Tour puts Justin Timberlake back in the star chamber for sure."[35]The Seattle Times music writer Michael Rietmulder also gave the tour a positive review. He felt that "Justin Timberlake was in his element. Gliding, sliding and stepping across the stage like an air-walking Morris Day out in front of an 11-piece band and brigade of dancers during an opening “No Angels” on Thursday. [...] his star power, [...] is still bright enough to pack an arena — twice." He also credited Timberlake as being "One of this century’s most well-rounded entertainers, the classic song-and-dance man is cut from a cloth that doesn’t exist in the contemporary pop landscape quite the same way it once did."[36] Jim Harrington of The Mercury News praised the performance aspect of the show, stating that "Timberlake is nothing short of a marvelous performer, boosting great dance moves, plenty of charisma and star power, an ability to connect deeply with a crowd, solid comedic timing and a knack for showing his fans a good time."[37]
After four years not performing in concert, Timberlake appeared the night before the 2013 Super Bowl and performed during the "DirecTV Super Saturday Night" in New Orleans. Backed by a full band and four backup singers called the Tennessee Kids, the hour-and-a-half setlist featured two songs from his upcoming album The 20/20 Experience ("Pusher Love Girl" and "That Girl"). Jay Z and Timbaland were featured guests.[38]
Timberlake and Taylor Swift performed "Mirrors" at Staples Center.[41] The performance and rehearsals were featured on concert documentary The 1989 World Tour Live.[42]
