I went to Justin Timberlake’s concert at Irving Plaza and it felt like the early aughts

Last night, I joined hundreds of Justin Timberlake fans in celebrating the former NSYNC member’s 43rd birthday at Irving Plaza, where he performed a one-night-only concert of, mostly, greatest hits that felt like a trip back to the early aughts.

Outside the Union Square ballroom-style music venue, hundreds of hopefuls stood in the cold for a chance to magically gain access to the arena, which was basically on lockdown: there was no way to get in without a ticket.

Tensions ran high upon entry as well: the space was filled with New York’s influencer elite peppered with a slew of lucky fans who were able to secure passes through a lottery. For two hours, everyone pretended to be famous by just being there—and it was pretty awesome.

Whether it was the intimate venue, the average age of audience members (“it’s my birthday, too, and this was my only plan,” read a sign held up by a 40-something woman in the crowd), the setlist—filled with tracks released in the early 2000s—or the fact that Timberlake will always don an aura of nostalgia given his rise to fame as the frontman of an iconic ‘90s boy band, the unique concert experience was akin to diving back into the era of cargo pants, tracksuits, all denim everything and baguette bags: the Y2K aesthetic was on fleek. 

If it weren’t for the myriad of iPhones taking high-res videos throughout the night and reminding me that we are living in 2024, I would have bet money that Timberlake and his wife Jessica Biel—who, at one point, appeared on stage with a cake, leading the crowd into a heartfelt rendition of the “happy birthday” song—would end the evening at the formerly nearby and now defunct Coffee Shop, where celebrities of their caliber used to regularly hang out. 

Following a 45-minute DJ set that included throwbacks by Eve, Destiny’s Child and Madonna, among others, Timberlake walked on stage singing “Sanctified,” a track off his new album “Everything I Thought it Was,” his first since the 2018 release of “Man of the Woods,” scheduled to drop on March 15.

The evening continued with old favorites—”SexyBack!” “Like I Love You!” “Suit & Tie!” “Mirrors!” “Cry Me a River!”—and music from the Trolls soundtrack, the animated movie that Timberlake stars in and has helped open up the Timberlake universe to a whole new set of younger devotees. 

My personal favorite moment of the night came courtesy of the singer's own rendition of Frank Sinatra's glorious "New York, New York,” which smoothly transitioned into a performance of the 2003 hit "Señorita," with Timberlake himself on the piano.

A true showman, the artist gave fans what they were craving midway through the show when he walked down towards the crowd, sang portions of “Gone” and “Girlfriend,” two NSYNC fans’ go-to’s, and debuted a new tune, “My Favorite Drug,” which—spoiler alert!—is the exact sound that Timberlake tends to stellarly dance to.

It was, indeed, a night to remember.

Couldn’t snag tickets? Worry not! Timberlake just announced his 'Forget Tomorrow' world tour and is expected to take on the stage at Madison Square Garden on June 25 and June 26. Here is how to get tickets to the summer shows.