Sydney fans who were maybe hoping to rub shoulders with Justin Timberlake – or more realistically, snap blurry pictures of him standing in a roped-off VIP area 20 feet away – were denied the chance on Friday, thanks to Sydney’s lockout laws.
The Sydney Morning Herald report that the singer, who is in the country breaking hearts and playing sweet, sweet music, arrived at an Oxford Street club at around 1.45am Friday for his official 20/20 Experience World Tour after party.
However, Sydney’s strict new licensing laws prohibit anyone – even really handsome singers rolling with entourages of 50 – from entering bars and clubs in the lockout zone after 1.30am. Thus, Timberlake was politely but firmly refused entry.
Timberlake’s people reportedly did not take this rejection well. “They were really angry,” said Kunal Singh, manager of the Miind nightclub. “They actually thought we refused entry because we didn’t want them in the club.”
“@freestylesteve: Excuse The Grammar Errors But Im Pissed…” All this hoopla and I wasn’t even there… I hope somebody had fun. Hahaha!
— Justin Timberlake (@jtimberlake) October 3, 2014
The official tour DJ was already playing in the club at the time, but his set was reportedly cancelled partway through, and after news spread that neither Timberlake nor his legendary suit and tie would be entering the building, the crowd began to thin.
On the one hand, a super-rich, successful pop singer was denied access to a nightclub – boo hoo, who cares, he’ll be just fine, right? If he really wanted to party on, he could have just gone to The Star.
On the other, the club itself lost business, reportedly closing at 2.30am instead of the expected 4.00am, just as many legitimate venues in the lockout zone are reporting a downturn in numbers.
Either way, it’s not the kind of thing that makes you want to go clubbing in Sydney. Timberlake’s current Aussie tour ends with two final shows in Perth, where he will presumably receive the kind of warm welcome to which he has become accustomed.
Photo: Graham Denholm via Getty Images
