Club Owner Says Lockout Laws Forced Timberlake To Ditch After-Party

A Sydney nightclub owner has alleged that Justin Timberlake cancelled an after-party appearance after his crew and management were refused entry into the club because of Sydney’s lockout laws. The owner insists JT was en route when he cancelled, though the singer’s tour DJ has denied the claims.

As Fairfax reports, Timberlake was in town on Thursday to perform at Allphones Arena as part of his 20/20 Experience World Tour. Meanwhile, Sydney’s Miind Nightclub was scheduled to host a 20/20 Experience after-party, where the singer’s tour DJ, Freestyle Steve, was playing. The party was also reportedly set to feature an appearance from Timberlake himself as a “Very Secret Special Guest”.

But as Miind owner Kunal Singh told Fairfax, when JT’s entourage showed up to the venue, they were denied entry because they arrived after the mandated Sydney CBD lockout time of 1:30am. “They were really angry,” he said. “They actually thought we refused entry because we didn’t want them in the club.”

Singh said that although he tried explaining how the city’s controversial lockout laws worked, Timberlake’s management did not understand why they weren’t allowed inside. The club owner said that after 15 minutes of arguing with the club, Timberlake’s management cut Freestyle Steve’s set short.

Singh believes the incident highlights the detrimental impact of the city’s lockout laws on venues. “We rely on big performers that draw in crowds and this sort of thing travels very quickly in the industry,” he said. “Unless [the artists] understand the laws, how they perceive it is that the clubs are crap.”

However, Freestyle Steve, real name Steve Johnson, has denied Mr Singh’s claims in a since-deleted post to his official Facebook page. As the Sydney Morning Herald reports, Johnson wrote that Timberlake was “never, never coming” to the club and that he cut his scheduled set because “my crew left”.

According to inthemix, Singh has fired back at Johnson’s claims, saying, “Justin was on his way in the car.” Timberlake has since made light of the incident, while confirming that he was never at the club, contrary to previous reports. “All this hoopla and I wasn’t even there,” he wrote on Twitter on Friday.

Photos: Justin Timberlake – Sydney, Allphones Arena 02/10/14

Photos by Ashley Mar