“You keep on loving me and I love you right back,” the singer told concertgoers on Friday in Chicago, days after his DWI arrest in New York
On Friday night, Justin Timberlake gave his first live performance since his DWI arrest early Tuesday morning in Long Island, New York.
At his Chicago concert at the United Center on June 21, the former *NSYNC member, 43, told fans “it’s been a tough week” in a short speech before performing “Selfish.”
“I know sometimes I’m hard to love but you keep on loving me and I love you right back,” he added as concertgoers cheered.
Earlier in the show, he bantered with a couple celebrating their 16th wedding anniversary. Timberlake told the audience the “verdict is in” that this was “the best crowd of the tour.”
According to a statement released by Sag Harbor Police Department on Tuesday, June 18, Timberlake “was observed operating a 2025 BMW southbound on Madison Street, failing to stop at a duly posted stop sign and failing to maintain his lane of travel.”
Following a traffic stop by an officer, the hitmaker was determined to be “operating his vehicle in an intoxicated condition” and was “placed under arrest, processed, and held overnight for morning arraignment.” He was released later that morning on his own recognizance.
According to his arrest report obtained by PEOPLE, Timberlake — who was charged with one count DWI and two citations for running a stop sign and failure to keep in lane — told authorities, “I had one martini and I followed my friends home.”
A source told PEOPLE his arrest occurred the morning of June 18 after he spent time “hanging out with friends” at The American Hotel. “Nobody was hurt,” the insider added.
The following day, attorney Edward Burke Jr. released a statement obtained by PEOPLE regarding Timberlake’s arrest, saying, “Mr. Burke looks forward to vigorously defending Mr. Timberlake against these allegations. He will have a lot to say at the appropriate time. He is currently awaiting full discovery from the DA’s office.”
Timberlake has been on the road since April, supporting his sixth studio album Everything I Thought It Was, which he released on March 15. Before his arrest, the 10-time Grammy winner’s last stop was a sold-out show at the Kaseya Center in Miami.
After two nights in Chicago, the performer will next bring his tour to Madison Square Garden in New York City, with later domestic dates through July 9. The tour is then scheduled to kick off its European leg at an arena in Kraków, Poland, on July 26 — the same day the “Selfish” singer is due back in court.
“It’s business as usual for him,” said the insider. “The tour is continuing as planned.”
The weekend before his arrest, Timberlake posted to Instagram to commemorate Father’s Day.
“I learn more about myself everyday just because you both chose me to be your Daddy,” the “Sanctified” artist wrote of his two sons, whom he shares with wife Jessica Biel. “I love you both so much. Thank you for giving me my biggest purpose.”
