Justin Timberlake canceled the final show on his U.S. tour at Columbus, Ohio’s Nationwide Arena Thursday on short notice, claiming he was ill – and leaving fans holding tickets fuming.
‘You guys, I’m heartbroken, I have to cancel the show tonight,’ the 10-time Grammy winner, 44, said Thursday in a statement on Instagram, four months after he canceled his October 23 concert at the same venue amid a bout with laryngitis and bronchitis.
The SexyBack singer added, ‘I went into soundcheck battling the flu and now it’s gotten the best of me. It kills me to disappoint you and my team who worked so hard to make this show happen.
‘I want to reassure you, you’ll be getting refunds for your tickets. I love you all.’
Dailymail.com has reached out to reps for Timberlake for further comment on this story. Reps for the Nationwide Arena declined comment.
A number of fans were critical of the musical artist for waiting so late to call off the show, with one saying, ‘Canceling [because] of being sick is 100% understandable.. Canceling 10 minutes before the doors were to open is unacceptable.’
Another added: ‘The show was canceled at 7:30 and the show was supposed to start at 8:00, I’m sorry if you have the flu you would’ve know before 1/2hour before the show starts. There were little kids standing in line that was devastated that you canceled. Shame on you.’
Justin Timberlake, 44, canceled the final show on his US tour Thursday amid illness, leaving fans holding tickets fuming. Pictured April 1, 2024 in Hollywood, California
Timberlake said Thursday in a statement on Instagram: ‘I have to cancel the show tonight. I went into soundcheck battling the flu and now it’s gotten the best of me’
Another fan asked, ‘Could you have told fans sooner than 12 minutes before the show starts?’
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Other fans noted the massive expenditures they had to make to see Timberlake live, only for the show to be scuttled at the last minute, calling his actions ‘unacceptable.’
‘This is literally the 2nd time this has happened and there’s not even a reschedule,’ one user said. ‘We drove 3 hours and paid for a hotel room and you tell us 5 minutes before it starts that it’s canceled.
The user added, ‘I wouldn’t even be as upset if you actually came out and told us personally that you are sick and cannot perform.
‘There was a DJ for the opening act, we would have been happy with even the DJ playing and us just listening to your songs. We would have sang for you. This is unacceptable.’
Ticketmaster announced Thursday: ‘Unfortunately, the Event Organizer has had to cancel your event.
The service continued: ‘You don’t need to do a thing. We’ll issue a refund to the original method of payment used at time of purchase, as soon as funds are received from the Event Organizer. It should appear on your account within 14-21 days.’
The ticket sellers continued: ‘Please Note: If the tickets were transferred to you, the refund will go to the fan who originally purchased the tickets from Ticketmaster.’
Fans were seen leaving the facility after the scuttled show in Ohio
Attendees appeared to be upset that more notice wasn’t given in terms of time
Other users took issue with Timberlake not playing Columbus on the tour following the pair of cancellations.
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‘This should be rescheduled not refunded,’ the user said. ‘Canceling once is understandable but not twice.
‘I’m sorry if someone is sick but it needs to be made right. We have traveled and spent extra money twice for a last minute notification…not acceptable.’
One fan posted Timberlake’s infamous prediction back to him in the thread, writing, ‘This is going to ruin the tour…’
One user under the handle @astro_kianna came to the singer’s defense, saying that people should be more understanding, as these things happen to everyone, famous or not.
‘For all you weirdos in the comments getting mad at him, understand that these decisions are not made lightly and he was clearly trying to figure things out before cancelling,’ said the user, who is named Kianna.
She added, ‘It’s not as simple as moving it to another date when there are contracts and venue obligations that have to be considered first. Use your brains.
‘We’ve all dealt with cancellations before and sometimes there’s nothing that can be done. That’s life. Being rude to Justin doesn’t solve anything in this moment.’
Ticketmaster said Timberlake’s show wouldn’t be rescheduled, and fees would be refunded
A number of fans were critical of the musical artist for waiting so late to call off the show
One devoted fan who traveled across the country to take in the event reassured Timberlake that he made the right decision in looking out for his health.
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‘I Flew in from CA but you know what… your health comes first,’ the user said. ‘True fans know that. Love you. Feel better.’
Another user added, ‘Awwww dang! So sorry to you and the fans who had tickets:(‘
Said one fan, ‘Take care of yourself Justin, I know you are heartbroken the tour ended this way. We love you so much, never forget that.’
For years, the singer reigned supreme as the undisputed Prince of Pop – but as he closes out the U.S. dates of his ‘world tour’ with lackluster sales and even worse reviews, it seems his career is at a crossroads.
Timberlake on Thursday had been to play the final date on the trek in Columbus – as tickets throughout the venue remained available the day of the show.
The former *NSYNC leading singer – who turned 44 last month – advertised the concert on his Instagram Stories Wednesday.
He shared a sequence in which he was standing on stage in front of thousands of cheering fans with the caption, ‘Last show tomorrow.’
Tickets throughout the venue remained available the day of the show, which was ultimately called off
For years, the singer reigned supreme as the undisputed Prince of Pop – but as he closes out the U.S. dates of his ‘world tour’ with lackluster sales and even worse reviews, it seems his career is at a crossroads
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Timberlake’s show on Monday at the Xcel Energy Center in St Paul, Minnesota was roundly panned by The Minnesota Star Tribune’s Jon Bream.
The veteran music critic and reporter criticized the pop superstar for selecting a concert playlist that had too many new tracks fans were unfamiliar with, instead of the pop staples they purchased tickets to see him perform.
The Memphis, Tennessee native performed ’11 songs from his 2024 album, Everything I Thought It Was … even though hardly anyone bought or even cared about the album,’ Bream wrote.
Timberlake took the stage Monday in front of 11,000 fans at Xcel Energy Center, which says it ‘provides configuration capabilities to accommodate more than 20,000 guests.’
The show was a makeup for a concert Timberlake canceled last fall amid a bout with bronchitis and laryngitis, Bream said.
The superstar singer apparently was still lethargic, Bream said, as Timberlake neglected to take part in one of his concert traditions: ‘Standing on the edge of a tilted, floating monolith (attached by a harness) as he has done in dozens of other cities as an encore.’
Fans on Facebook also echoed similar sentiments about the performance falling short without the monolith sequence.
One noted that Timberlake ‘spent quite a bit of time on a second stage at the back of the arena, and finished out the show back there, so lost a little luster for anyone toward the front.’
Timberlake also neglected to mention his wife Jessica Biel, 42– who he shares sons Silas, nine, and Phineas, four, with – or her ties to the Land of 10,000 Lakes, as she is a native of Ely, Bream added.
One user under the handle @astro_kianna came to the singer’s defense, saying that people should be more understanding, as these things happen to everyone, famous or not
One devoted fan who flew in from California reassured Timberlake that his ‘health comes first’
Other fans shared supportive words in the adjacent comment thread
Timberlake was able to salvage the concert with his ‘natural showmanship, deft musicianship and contagious energy,’ Bream wrote.
Timberlake did perform signature hits such as Can’t Stop the Feeling, Cry Me a River, and Rock Your Body in a performance the critic labeled as ‘inflated, awkwardly paced [and] yet sometimes exciting,’ Bream wrote.
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Following the show in Minnesota, Timberlake on Wednesday thanked his collaborators for their efforts on the nationwide tour in a post to his 72.1M followers on Instagram.
‘Only one more show to go… and I wanted to take a minute to shout out this incredible tour family,’ he said. ‘These are the people who keep this whole thing running.
‘You guys don’t get to see everyone on stage, but without every single person in this picture – none of this would be possible.’
The My Love wrapped up in saying, ‘So much love. Let’s do it ONE MORE TIME tomorrow night in Columbus. #TFTWTOUR @thetnkids.’
Following Thursday’s concert, the pop veteran is slated to perform at a number of festivals overseas for more than 20 shows over a four-month span, commencing on March 25 at Lollapalooza Argentina 2025 at the Hipodromo De San Isidro.
Timberlake wraps up that leg of his tour with a July 20 show in Paris at Hippodrome Paris Longchamp.
Timberlake was seen in an Instagram Stories clip Wednesday hyping the end of the tour
The Memphis, Tennessee native performed ’11 songs from his 2024 album, Everything I Thought It Was … even though hardly anyone bought or even cared about the album,’ a music critic said of the entertainer’s efforts in Minnesota
Following the show in Minnesota, Timberlake on Wednesday thanked his collaborators for their efforts on the nationwide tour in a post to his 72.1M followers on Instagram
The pop veteran is slated to perform at a number of festivals overseas beginning next month
The stumble for the What Goes Around… Comes Around vocalist comes after years in which he had maintained a strong image with the public while weathering a number of scandals that might have sunk the career of a less-beloved celeb.
The most recent of which was a June 18 driving while intoxicated (DWI) arrest in Sag Harbor, New York in which he told the arresting officer, ‘This is gonna screw up the tour.’
Following his plea deal in September 13, Timberlake made a statement condemning drunken driving after he accepted a plea deal to driving while impaired.
‘I try to hold myself to a very high standard, for myself, and this was not that,’ Timberlake told reporters outside of the court, according to the AP.
He added: ‘Even if you’ve had one drink, don’t get behind the wheel of a car. There’s so many alternatives. Call a friend. Take an Uber. There’s many travel apps. Still, take a taxi.
‘This is a mistake that I made, but I’m hoping that whoever is watching and listening right now can learn from this mistake. I know that I certainly have.’
The SexyBack singer also dealt with blowback in 2023 after his ex-girlfriend Britney Spears released her memoir The Woman In Me – claiming that he had been unfaithful to her.
Following his drunken driving arrest, Spears fans mocked Timberlake after he had urged her to stop drinking in a 2007 clip; and bought in large numbers her 2011 single Criminal, as a nod to the imbroglio.