Justin Timberlake Celebrates His 43rd Birthday With Soulful Performance at Irving Plaza, New York

On Wednesday night (January 31), Justin Timberlake spent his 43rd birthday doing what he loves most: performing. After enjoying his celebratory return to Memphis last week, the singer took to New York's Irving Plaza for his second One Night Only show.

Zealous fans around the world, including London, Los Angeles and Philadelphia, came in droves to see the venerable pop star strut across the stage in his “Suit & Tie” to a beat. Verzuz battle. Despite the freezing temperatures, some fans camped outside as early as 5am, waiting to get into the venue. Many sported vintage NSYNC shirts pledging their allegiance to Justin and the '90s boy band, while others held signs wishing the group leader a happy birthday. One, in particular, held up a paper sign that read: “It's my birthday too, and this was my only design.”

Luckily for this lucky fan, the birthday boy didn't disappoint, leaving fans in awe of his 17-song performance alongside his band, The Tennessee Kids.

Checkout Billboard Five highlights from Justin Timberlake's One Night Only NYC show below.

Standing on Business

The affable Timberlake didn't dwell on his past or elaborate on his comeback because talk was out the window for tonight's festivities. Upon arrival, he took the audience to Sunday Service with an electric rendition of his new single, “Sanctified.” Wearing a gray suit with a fancy choker draped around his neck, JT and the Tennessee Kids quickly went to work.

It previously debuted during Timberlake's SNL The weekend performance, “Sanctified” was soulful as JT sang and danced like a man possessed. Holy Ghost caught the air of The Tennessee Kids and JT's backup singers as the party of nine hurled themselves to the front of the stage, joining Timberlake in a cathartic sequence of song and dance.

Shortly after, JT ditched the church bug and quickly went to his bag of hits, delivering a hearty serving of 'Sexy Back' and 'My Love'. With the crowd hanging on his every word, the birthday boy caught a case of the restless legs, gliding across the stage with gusto, busting out his best moves while maintaining excellent breath control.

Throwback Justin

JT darted past him Man of the Woods blunder and stayed true to his basics, which made it easy for his diaries to rally behind this evening. Whether he's revisiting his NSYNC days and giving fans a little nostalgia with “Gone” and “Girlfriend” or taking creative bets combining “Summer Love” with Clipse's “Grindin',” his boundless efforts JT winning over the crowd was priceless.

The nimble locomotive never took a break, jumping from keyboard to guitar. When JT revved his engine back up to Justified era, singing songs like “Like I Love You” and “Senorita,” you could feel his youthful aura from 2002 as he grinned giddily whenever he caught a fan reciting his lyrics to him.

Even when JT's band took a break, he jumped into the crowd and kept the party going, singing some of his most notable songs, including 50 Cent's “Ayo Technology” and Snoop Dogg's “Signs.”

Gifts from Justin

Ahead of his performance, Timberlake's team sent fans an unreleased disc from his upcoming album Everything I thought I was on their phones to take home. Additionally, during halftime of his set, he treated attendees to a new take called “My Favorite Drug,” which had an upbeat groove and dance sensibilities, encouraging fans not to “stand around” and move the body their. Timberlake also treated fans to a performance of his new single “Selfish.”

Jessica Biel Surprises JT

Halfway through his performance, Jessica Biel surprised her husband when she came on stage with a cake. A happy Timberlake hugged and kissed his wife much to the delight of the crowd. Fans sang happy birthday to him and he later blew out his candles after making a wish. Timberlake later returned the favor to his wife by showing her off during the show's final song, “Mirrors,” signaling his faith in her.

Justin pays tribute

As previously mentioned, Justin was on a mission to do it all. Although the night had a party element, there were moments when it slowed things down. He gave two covers, including Stevie Wonder's “My Cherie Amour” and an ode to the city with Frank Sinatra's “New York, New York.” JT's vocal abilities made these performances unique, especially after he used up his energy in the dance. Slowing down the tempo and providing an instructional guide to covering songs added extra depth to Timberlake's excellent effort.