Justin Timberlake briefly addressed his “tough week” — specifically his DWI arrest on Long Island — at the singer’s first concert since the incident.
During Friday night’s gig in Chicago, Timberlake alluded to Tuesday’s arrest while speaking to the crowd between songs. “We’ve been together through ups and downs, lefts and rights,” he said. “It’s been a tough week, but you’re here, and I’m here.”
Timberlake then appeared emotional and overwhelmed as the crowd responded to his remarks with a standing ovation, prompting him to bow several times in appreciation. “I know I’m hard to love sometimes but you keep loving me right back,” Timberlake added.
The singer was arrested on suspicion of driving in an “intoxicated condition” early Tuesday after he allegedly failed to stop at a posted stop sign in the Southampton village of Sag Harbor, New York, a court filing obtained by Rolling Stone states. He was arraigned on a single misdemeanor charge of DWI hours later and released on his own recognizance.
According to the criminal complaint, Timberlake admitted to officers, “I had one martini and I followed my friends home.” However, officers observed Timberlake blowing through the stop sign at the intersection as well as failing to” keep to the right side of the road.”
“His eyes were bloodshot and glassy, a strong odor of alcoholic beverage was emanating from his breath, he was unable to divide attention, he had slowed speech, he was unsteady afoot, and he performed poorly on all standardized field sobriety tests,” the one-page filing by prosecutors based on the sworn statements of Sag Harbor Police Officer Michael D. Arkinson read.
Timberlake’s next court date is a virtual appearance in Sag Harbor Village Justice Court scheduled for July 26 While Timberlake’s lawyer issued a statement following Justin’s arrest, Friday’s concert marked the first time the singer himself addressed the incident.
Timberlake is in the middle of a lengthy North American tour in support of his latest album, Everything I Thought It Was.