Justin Timberlake has expressed his “heartbreak” after having to cancel his concert on Thursday night. Just hours before he was due to perform at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, for the last show of his North American leg of the Forget Tomorrow World Tour, Timberlake, 44, announced that the concert would not take place as scheduled due to him being struck by the flu.
In an emotional Instagram post, Timberlake shared, “You guys, I’m heartbroken. I have to cancel the show tonight. I went into soundcheck battling the flu and now it’s gotten the best of me. It kills me to disappoint you and my team worked so hard to make this show happen. I want to reassure you, you’ll be getting refunds for your tickets. I love you all.”
While fans were generally understanding about the cancellation for health reasons, many expressed frustration over the last-minute notice, as the show was called off just hours before it was meant to start. One person commented, “Canceling bc of being sick is 100% understandable.. Canceling 10 minutes before the doors were to open is unacceptable.” Another added, “The show was canceled at 7:30 and the show was supposed to start at 8:00, I’m sorry if you have the flu you would’ve known before 1/2 hour before the show starts.”
This cancellation marked the second time Timberlake’s Columbus concert had been affected. Originally set for November, the show was first postponed in October along with four other performances after Timberlake was diagnosed with bronchitis and laryngitis.
“Hey guys – I haven’t been feeling great the last few shows and turns out I have bronchitis and laryngitis,” he had explained at the time. “I’m so sorry to say I do need to reschedule the next few shows from 10/23 through 11/2. New dates listed above. Thank you for understanding – I’ll make it up to you.”
The rescheduled shows, including the Columbus concert, were set to take place between February 14 and February 27, 2025. This final rescheduled concert was supposed to mark the end of the North American leg of his tour, which began in April to promote his sixth studio album, Everything I Thought It Was. The tour is expected to resume in April with a performance in Mexico before heading to Europe, and is scheduled to conclude in Luxembourg City on July 8.
