Justin Timberlake Debuts New Material, Brings Out Jay-Z at Comeback Concert
On the eve of Super Bowl XLVII, Justin Timberlake returned to the stage for his first performance in nearly five years at DIRECTV’s Super Saturday Night in New Orleans. The suave superstar suited up in a black tuxedo and thrilled with old and new material during the hour-long set, which featured some special guests.
With a guitar over his shoulder, he opened with “Like I Love You,” backed by his 10-piece band dubbed “JT & the Tennessee Kids.” He played familiar hits such as “Cry Me a River” and “Rock Your Body,” and remixed “My Love” with Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “Ni**as in Paris.”
The dapper crooner also brought out Jay-Z for the first live performance of his new single “Suit and Tie” and had the crowd dancing along during the Timbaland-assisted “SexyBack.”
As celebrities including Paul McCartney and John Legend looked on, JT covered INXS’ “What You Need” and put his funky spin on The Jacksons’ “Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground).”
Concertgoers also got a first listen to two new songs off his upcoming album The 20/20 Experience (due March 19) including “That Girl” and the falsetto-driven “Pusher Love Girl.”
Timberlake will perform at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards on February 10 and play a sold-out show at the Hollywood Palladium the same evening.