Justin Timberlake tour tickets slashed to under £13 as star is arrested for drink driving in New York
JUSTIN Timberlake’s tour tickets were slashed to under £13 ahead of the pop star’s drink drive arrest in New York.
The 43-year-old singer is currently on the US leg of his Forget Tomorrow World Tour – his first in five years.
But sales have been sluggish and prices reduced in a bid to fill huge arenas stateside.
Seats towards the back of Hersheypark Stadium, Pennsylvania, for Justin’s July 4 show are now just $16 – or £12.50 in pounds sterling.
And X account Under Face Value also found midfield seats that can be snapped up for a very reasonable $40 (£31.50).
The flop tour has failed to sell out in nearly every location – however things are looking rosier in the UK where Justin’s first of two O2 Arena shows has only limited tickets available and hasn’t been affected by price drops.
Insiders fear tour struggles combined with the lack of commercial success for latest album Everything I Thought I Was are weighing heavily on Justin.
Selfish, the first single from his sixth album, was released in January and peaked at just number 19 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
The music star arrested for driving under the influence in Sag Harbor, NY, earlier this week.
Police said Justin ran a stop sign, swerved into another lane, smelled of alcohol and refused to do a breathalyser.
He is due in court on July 26 – the same date that his Poland leg of the tour is set to begin.
Justin is said to have been apologetic to officers following his arrest and ‘owned’ the situation, however, his wife Jessica Biel is said to be ‘colossally embarrassed’ by it all.
A source told The Sun: “Justin’s friends want him to take another extended break from music to focus on his health and wellbeing.
“He has felt intense pressure to compete with touring juggernauts like Beyonce and Taylor Swift – and his tour has barely sold in comparison.”
The SexyBack singer recently had to cancel his June 8 concert in Columbia, South Carolina, without explanation.
Ticketmaster announced: “Unfortunately, the event organiser has had to cancel your event.”
Latest album, Everything I Thought It Was, is his first since 2018’s Man in the Woods.
It was released in March and debuted at number four on the US Billboard 200 but soon slipped down the charts.
Music critics gave the album mixed reviews, with one flaming it as a “rehash of past glories”.
One music industry insider said: “It hasn’t been the smash hit he’d been hoping for.
“It’s been difficult for an artist of his stature to realise he’s now past his prime – his glory days are behind him.”
A second source added: “It can’t be easy for him to deal with audience rejection and coming to terms with the fact that music tastes have moved on.”
CUT SHORT?
Insiders are now questioning if the child Disney star will call off the rest of his tour.
Music journalist Touré of TheGrio told NewsNation: “A six-year break from your mid-thirties to your early forties is a really long time (for an artist).
“Most of (Timberlake’s) fans have aged out of caring about him. It’s like the old saying goes, ‘You don’t retire – the audience retires you.'”
Others believe his once-loyal fanbase has abandoned him following the bombshell allegations in Britney’s candid memoir, The Woman In Me.
The 42-year-old pop megastar accused him of several things, including cheating on her multiple times, pressuring her to get an abortion, and leveraging their breakup to boost his solo career.
The scandals have led some fans in the UK to call for refunds on their tour tickets – though the July shows are going ahead as planned for the time being.
Jessica 'colosally embarrassed'
With dark circles etched under her eyes, Justin Timberlake’s wife Jessica Biel looked broken while filming scenes in New York for her upcoming Amazon series, The Better Sister, yesterday.
“Jessica will be colossally disappointed and embarrassed that once again, Justin is in the headlines for all the wrong reasons,” a source said.
“There’s going to be a lot of questions asked of Justin moving forward, without a doubt.
“He clearly has this self-destructive streak that keeps rearing its head.
“Jessica has shown the patience of a saint forgiving his various misdeeds over the past few years but this is really testing her patience and then some.
“It’s well known that their marriage has been on the brink for some time.
“But he’s gone and screwed up again, which is going to affect everyone in his world, not just him.”