Justin Timberlake gets soulful in Seattle

Concert review

Justin Timberlake was in his element. Gliding, sliding and stepping across the stage like an air-walking Morris Day out in front of an 11-piece band and brigade of dancers during an opening “No Angels” on Thursday.

The disco-pop romper off Timberlake’s new album, “Everything I Thought it Was,” is in step with the disco revival of the last few years but took on a more vintage flavor while kicking off his first of two Climate Pledge Arena shows.

“There ain’t no angels here on the dance floor,” Timberlake sang, though he and his dancers sure floated like they had halos over their heads.

More than 20 years since going solo from ‘N Sync, Timberlake arrived in Seattle, just the second stop on his Forget Tomorrow World Tour, no longer at the center of the pop universe — and that’s perfectly OK, maybe even for the best.

Despite some savory moments, both this year’s “Everything I Thought it Was” and his previous album, the awkwardly framed “Man of the Woods,” were met with critical shrugs and the court of public opinion has shifted on Timberlake since the days when he had America in stitches with “Saturday Night Live” skits and palling around with celebrity bud Jimmy Fallon. Not that it’s diminished his star power, which is still bright enough to pack an arena — twice. (Timberlake, who hit the stage shortly after 9 p.m., will tackle Climate Pledge Arena again Friday night.)

None of the external noise or think-piece narratives mattered when the stage lights hit and Timberlake, who’s been performing since he was 11, does what he does best. One of this century’s most well-rounded entertainers, the classic song-and-dance man is cut from a cloth that doesn’t exist in the contemporary pop landscape quite the same way it once did.

The R&B-influenced prince of pop and sultan of FCC-friendly innuendo is a direct disciple of Michael Jackson. But he was equal parts James Brown on a punchy “LoveStoned,” the Timbaland-produced hit off Timberlake’s second solo album “FutureSex/LoveSounds.” Timberlake has more intentionally claimed his Memphis roots in recent years and his crack band the Tennessee Kids gave the mid-2000s cut a ‘60s soul revue appeal.

For better or worse, much of Timberlake’s best work is timestamped to the 2000s, thanks in part to the way his frequent collaborators Timbaland and the Neptunes defined the era’s sound. Thanks largely to the Tennessee Kids, many of the songs were unbound to the production trappings of the day, retrofit with timeless organic textures.

After a crushing “Cry Me a River,” which could have hit an even higher gear had Timberlake not taken it easy on those signature falsetto choruses, the sprawling Tennessee Kids got time to shine on “Let the Groove Get In.” The skittering, chiming percussion boiled over into a stomp-around jam, hitting like a horns-blasting march down Beale Street. Later, during a light-footed newbie “Play” drawing on ‘80s electro-funk, the horn section and a crew of dancers joined Timberlake in a full procession to a secondary stage on the opposite end of the arena.

Hopping to the floor to make his way through the crowd, JT stopped to greet a fan who was cradling a stocky little bulldog. “Honestly, this is the first dog I’ve had at my show,” a surprised Timberlake remarked. “Is this a Seattle thing?”

Timberlake and the band were most in their bag mining the soul, funk and disco sounds of yore, at one point beefing up the candy-shop love song “Pusher Love Girl” with swelling gospel vocals and doo-woppy charm. But it was hardly their only look.

“Sanctified” packed a full-blown arena-rock crunch, and late into his nearly two-hour set, Timberlake broke out an acoustic guitar for stripped-down renditions of this year’s “Selfish” and “What Goes Around… Comes Around.”

While the focus was kept on Timberlake and crew’s shoulder-popping choreography, a giant rectangular LED box that hovered and shifted above the stage was the centerpiece of the tour’s production. After a breezy “Rock Your Body” and embracing 2000s club hedonism on “SexyBack,” a harnessed-up Timberlake returned for his “Mirrors” encore atop the LED vessel that carried him above the crowd. With arms spread wide, JT leaned over the edge as the illuminated platform tilted to a 45-degree angle, making like Kate Winslet on the Titanic for a dramatic finish.

When Timberlake reunited with ‘N Sync (after years of resisting fans’ pleas) to record “Better Place” for the “Trolls Band Together” soundtrack and the song “Paradise” off his new album, some critics viewed it as a tacit conceit that Timberlake could no longer generate the same level of fervor on his own. A friendlier read is that the former boy bander and Mouseketeer, now a husband and father in his 40s like much of Thursday’s millennial-heavy crowd, is comfortable enough in his career arc that he no longer feels the need to distance himself from his past.

While both are likely true to some degree, Timberlake came off self-aware and self-assured on Thursday, joking as he briefly took a seat before a steamy dance routine during “Technicolor” that “I’m 43, so I gotta sit down for a second.”

At various points in the night, a reflective Timberlake paused to address his journey with the sort of clarity and gratitude that comes with age and stability. “If you’ve been rocking with me for two decades, almost three decades, I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart,” he said after jokingly wishing a millennial fan a happy 21st birthday.

At the end of the day, that’s the connection that matters.