I can’t stop feeling this way!
On Tuesday, thousands of passionate and generous Justin Timberlake fans packed into Madison Square Garden to watch their idol The stage performance comes one week after his high-profile DUI arrest.
“Honestly, the teenage heart in me cried a little bit. I was a little disappointed because in my eyes, he can never do anything wrong,” said Dilla, 35, who traveled all the way from Michigan wearing a “Just One Martini” T-shirt to meet the pop icon.
Although Dilla was disappointed, he was one of the thousands of people willing to forgive the “Cry Me a River” singer for his lapse in judgment.
As he took the stage, the crowd chanted, “We forgive you, Justin!” and “Everyone makes mistakes!”
However, several others used the opportunity to scold the singer, with one shouting: “He’s a drunk!”
The two-night New York show as part of his “Forget Tomorrow World Tour” will mark his first metro area performances since his high-profile arrest in the Hamptons.
Timberlake was stopped by a rookie police officer known for being tough on the law, who reportedly had no idea who Timberlake was. He expressed concern that his arrest would “ruin the tour.”
Prior to his arrest, Timberlake was struggling to sell out stadiums while on tour.
An hour before Timberlake took the stage at MSG on Tuesday night, hundreds of tickets were still unsold, with about two dozen empty seats scattered across the first four rows of the arena, and the average price was about $1,500.
Elsewhere in the stadium, more affordable tickets were on sale, ranging from $130 to $300.
But those in attendance attested to their undying love for the singer, despite the ferocious criticism he received last week.
“To all the haters and backbiters: You think you’ve never drunk driven? Have you never gone to dinner, had a few cocktails and then driven? Come on. I will forever defend Justin,” said Michelle Altomare, 46, who has followed all of Timberlake’s tours since his ‘N Sync days.
“I was a little confused when I first heard about the DUI and, to be honest, I’ve been surprised by all the negative press. We all make mistakes – we’re human. This is not a continuing pattern for Justin. This was his first DUI arrest.”
Jocelyn N., 38, said she has no interest in hearing the “What Goes Around … Comes Around” singer talk about the controversy, adding that his dirty secrets are already in the news. “Everyone knows he likes tequila.”
A fan for over 15 years, he wore a T-shirt with a photo of Justin’s face and the words “Loved Stoned” – a reference to a song on Justin’s second solo album.
“Honestly, this is one of the most beautiful mugshots I’ve ever seen,” Jocelyn said.
When asked if her love for the singer has ever waned, Jocelyn stressed that she continues to support him, pointing out that “there are plenty of artists out there who do much worse.”
“He’s going through a bit of a rough time right now, but he’ll get through it. I was just hoping that he wouldn’t have to cancel the tour or have to go to rehab if it gets too bad. I hope that he gets through this tour and does what he needs to do to be a father.”
Like Jocelyn, Kristen Wentzel, 44, also didn’t want Timberlake to waste any time apologizing for his inappropriate behavior onstage at MSG, saying he already fulfilled that obligation when he mentioned a “tough week” during his Chicago performance.
She and her three young daughters, all wearing matching Timberlake shirts, said they hadn’t traveled all the way from Los Angeles to see the superstar kneel down, stressing that the family was there “to have fun.”
“I just hope people can learn from this. We all make mistakes, and you can’t learn from them if you never make them in the first place. So if people can learn from this, maybe he can too, and I’ll leave it at that,” Wentzel said.
