“Forget tomorrow.” Just don’t forget Justin Timberlake is coming back to Ball Arena on Tuesday.

J.T.’s massive “Forget Tomorrow” tour, which encompasses his 30-year musical career (feel old?) is his first since 2018. It’s in support of his sixth album, “Everything I Thought It Was,” released in March 2024.

By all accounts, the 43-year-old superstar brings it all on this tour – the signature falsetto … the dance moves … a DJ stage – pretty much everything people might expect save for a certain body part in a box. He’s even, yes, bringing  “Sexy Back.”

Most every one of his 28-song set lists to date has begun with “No Angels” and “LoveStoned” –  and ended with “Mirrors” as his encore.

A pretty funny video is going around showing Timberlake onstage at the very moment he noticed three of his *NSYNC bandmates – JC Chasez, Lance Bass and Chris Kirkpatrick – in the crowd during Monday’s concert in Thousand Palms, Calif., (“Why didn’t you text me?” he asked them.)

Joey Fatone had a pretty good excuse to miss the boy-band reunion. He was back in New York making his Broadway debut playing Lance in the hit musical comedy “& Juliet.”

Timberlake has been in the public eye his whole life, nearly all of it favorably until the last year or so, which has included a DUI arrest and some unfavorable revelations in Britney Spears’ 2023 memoir.

But his concerts are getting almost begrudgingly praiseful reviews, including a new one out today from the Desert Sun that says J.T.’s demanding dance movies would have been impressive even if done by someone half his age. “Plus, Timberlake’s singing was somehow so strong that it even put the backing vocals to shame a few times, just further emphasizing what a great singer he remains.”

As of Wednesday, thousands of seats for the Denver show remained available on the Ticketmaster website ranging from $77 to $400.

Lots of big concerts announced

The dead of winter is the perfect time to dream of big sweaty summer concerts, which are being announced by the daily dozens this time of year. Among them: The Crystal Method at the Ogden Theatre on March 29, Mercy Me at Red Rocks on April 22, Sheryl Crow at Red Rocks on June 10, Jason Aldean at Ball Arena on July 25 (on sale Jan. 31), Nine Inch Nails at Ball Arena on Aug. 15, Chris Stapleton at Ball Arena on Aug. 22-23 (on sale Friday), and Billy Idol with Joan Jett and the Blackhearts at Red Rocks on Sept. 3 (on sale Friday).

A big deal for the local music community is a new beginning for quintessential Colorado funk and soul jam band The Motet, which after 26 years, nine albums, and more than 1,000 concerts will headline April 19 at the Ogden with Portland’s Sarah Clarke on lead vocals.

In 2023, Clarke joined Dave Watts on drums, Joey Porter on keys, Garrett Sayers on bass, Drew Sayers on keys and sax, and Ryan Jalbert on guitar. The new album (and first with Clarke) is called “Love Time.”

“It’s our first step into the world as this iteration of The Motet,” said Clarke. “It’s also an opportunity for folks to hopefully jump aboard and see where it goes.”

Since 1998, many have seen Watts as the face of The Motet. He says they are (still) not in it for fame or money. “We just want to be able to write songs and play shows,” he said. “The fact we can travel as far as we do, go through everything as a team, and play music we wrote together is humbling. To see people coming out to shows, smiling, singing, dancing and sustaining our careers is nothing short of a miracle. This is the beginning.”

Tickets on sale 10 a.m. Friday at axs.com

But the upcoming concert I’m most pumped for? No question: Ted Leo & The Pharmacists (playing “Shake the Sheets” in its entirety and more) with SPELLS (featuring noted Denver comedian Ben Roy) this coming Saturday (Jan. 25) at The Oriental Theater in northwest Denver. Tickets at tickets.holdmyticket.com.

Roy, by the way, does a comedy show every last Saturday at The Bug with his comedian buddies Adam Cayton-Holland and Andrew Overdahl (collectively known as The Grawlix). And yes, he does plan to play both his band’s opening set for Ted Leo at the Oriental before cruising east on 44th Avenue in time to join the comedy show at The Bug.

His prediction: “My set will be a mess, hah.” And if I know Roy, he means both sets. Grawlix tickets at bugtheatre.org.

What’s in a name?

The Platte Valley Players, a rising community theater company based about 25 miles northeast of Denver in Brighton, is tweaking its name to Platte Valley Theatre Arts. The shift does not change the company’s core mission, but Artistic Director Kelly Van Oosbree hopes the new name “captures the heart of who we are — a small company with big ideas and a deep commitment to the theatrical arts.”

Next up: Productions by and for kids – ”Finding Nemo and Seussical Jr., followed by the very intriguing regional premiere of “The Cottage,” a comedy that recently starred Laura Bell Bundy on Broadway, with Denver’s own Jamie Ann Romero as her understudy. It’s the story of a couple on a getaway for their yearly tryst – until their spouses arrive. It plays July 25-Aug. 3. Info at plattevalleyplayers.org.

Ten-year-old’s “Brightman’ day

Sarah Brightman’s recent Colorado concerts included a fortuitous contribution from 10-year Owen Plenk, who sang a couple of songs with the musical theater legend in Colorado Springs Dec. 3 and again in Denver at the Buell Theatre on Dec. 4.

“It was a lucky six degrees of separation,” said his mother, Delci Lutes. Galen Darrough, emeritus director of Choral Studies at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, was helping to pull together local singers for a choir to join Brightman onstage and was looking for a boy soprano soloist. Catherine Sailer, DU’s Director of Choral Studies, recommended Owen.

“We were asked to send a video of Owen singing, and that was that,” said his mom. In all, about eight local singers joined Brightman, but Plenk was the only kid.

“It was confirmed back on Nov. 14, so he had a couple weeks to prepare and memorize,” she said.

This is a crazy talented family. In December 2023, Owen’s sister, Ellie, earned a True West Award for her titular performance in Town Hall Arts Center’s “Matilda, the Musical.”

And finally …

There are speaker series … and there is “Thunderchat.”

​​That’s what Thunder River Theatre Company is boldly calling the upcoming homecoming of the great Mandy Moore, the Summit High School grad just continues to just kill it as Hollywood’s preferred choreographer .

Moore (nope, the other one), has won three TV Emmy Awards among her 13 nominations. She is perhaps still best-known for her groundbreaking work as a producer and choreographer on “So You Think You Can Dance.” But then again, she just blew much of the young-adult world away with her choreography for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour.

What else? “LaLa Land.” “Silver Linings Playbook.” She made history by being the first to ever choreograph the Oscars, Golden Globes, Grammys and Emmys in the same year. Recent and upcoming projects include “Babylon,” directed by Damien Chazelle, Disney’s live action “Snow White” and John Krasinski’s Imaginary Friends.”

And if you need any further incentive, use the code THUNDER25 for a discount to the $45-$75 ticket at app.arts-people.com.

It will be thunderous.