Capitalizing on “The 20/20 Experience,” the year’s bestselling album to date, Justin Timberlake will launch a second RCA album on Sept. 30, prefacing a Live Nation-promoted world tour kicking off Oct. 31 in Montreal.
Fresh material and projected lengthy jaunt reflect a deepening commitment to music by Timberlake, who has made his mark as an actor (“The Social Network,” etc.) during a protracted layoff from recording and touring.
The new release, also titled “The 20/20 Experience,” will contain 10 new songs written and produced by Timberlake, and will succeed by just six months the March bow of “20/20,” the vocalist’s first new set of music in nearly seven years. That collection, launched with an enormous media blitz, bowed with first-week sales of 968,000, and has shifted 1.67 million to date; it is the only 2013 release to sell in seven figures so far.
Move to issue an entire album’s worth of fresh material hot on the heels of a certified smash is rare in the biz these days. While top performers like Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber have swiftly followed up hit releases with remix or acoustic collections, gambit of pushing a set of entirely new tracks into the market in the same calendar year as a mega-hit has been virtually unseen since the ’60s, when even the biggest acts were contractually obliged to do so.
Timberlake’s trek, which lifts off with the Halloween date at Bell Centre, so far comprises 23 North American arena dates, running through next February. No appearances have yet been announced in either L.A. or Gotham.
Vocalist’s first tour in six years will also take him to Europe, South America and Australia.
Members of Timberlake’s fan club the Tennessee Kids and MasterCard card holders will get preferential pre-sale access this Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. The musician announced a two-year partnership with the credit card firm in late April.
Ducats will go on sale to the general public for most announced dates on May 13 and 17.
The “20/20 Experience Tour” dates announced so far:
Date City Venue
Oct 31 Montreal, QC Bell Centre
Nov. 13 Raleigh, NC PNC Arena
Nov. 15 Nashville, TN Bridgestone Arena
Nov. 16 Columbus, OH Nationwide Arena
Nov. 18 Memphis, TN Fedex Forum
Nov. 19 St. Louis, MO Scottrade Center
Nov. 21 Tulsa, OK BOK Center
Nov. 29 Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand Garden Arena
Dec. 2 Phoenix, AZ US Airways Center
Dec. 4 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center
Dec. 5 Houston, TX Toyota Center
Dec. 11 Indianapolis, IN Bankers Life Fieldhouse
Dec. 12 Cleveland, OH Quicken Loans Arena
Dec. 14 Pittsburgh, PA Consol Energy Center
Dec. 15 Louisville, KY KFC Yum! Center
Dec. 17 Atlanta, GA Philips Arena
Dec. 19 Orlando, FL Amway Center
2014
Jan. 13 Edmonton, AB Rexall Place
Jan. 17 Seattle, WA Key Arena
Jan. 22 Denver, CO Pepsi Center
Feb. 7 Fargo, ND FARGODOME
Feb. 9 St. Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center
Feb. 10 Omaha, NE CenturyLink Center