Justin Timberlake. The Man of the Woods Tour. TD Garden, Boston. 10.18.18

As I made my way home from Boston's TD Garden late last Thursday night, it dawned on me that Justin Timberlake has been a superstar for more than half of my life. From being forced to listen to my sister's NSYNC albums during long drives as a child to seeing him truly come into his own as an actor, showman, and all-around entertainment icon in the years that would follow, Timberlake has demonstrated the kind of staying power that only strikes a few times each generation.

The occasion for his return to Boston (he was last here for two performances in March) is the second leg of his sprawling 112-city tour–his first in three years– in support of his latest album, "Man of the Woods," which was released last February. (He'll return to the area again in December with two shows at Mohegan Sun Arena).

With 75 shows down–and more than 7 months on the road–you can say that he's been at this a while, and at times it showed during the otherwise hugely entertaining evening, which included two dozen songs over two solid hours.

But even when Timberlake leaned too heavily on backing vocals, which he did frequently, or when he seemed to mark his way through some of the staging, he never made us feel that there was anywhere else he'd rather be.

"Man of the Woods" is Timberlake's first album in five years, and it performed well commercially despite its negative critical reception. The album's performance was buoyed, no doubt, by his much-talked-about return to the Super Bowl halftime show, a performance that was every bit as lackluster as the album itself.

The truth is, by the time "Man of the Woods" and the halftime show I was already feeling Timberlake fatigue. I despised the way that he seemed to let Janet Jackson take the fall for the nip slip heard around the world–you know the one, the one that ended up decimating her career–but more than that, I had reached my saturation point. I was tired of his brotastic persona and I didn't understand the love for his Saturday Night Live shtick, though his five Emmy Awards might be proof that I was in the minority on that front. Still, I walked into "The Man of the Woods Tour" eager to be made a convert.

Hi, my name is Christopher Ehlers and I'm a Justin Timberlake fan.

"The Man of the Woods Tour" is, in many ways, an ultimate concert experience and Timberlake is, for better or for worse, the ultimate star. Although he didn't speak much (in all fairness, this was probably a consideration of time more than anything else), he took plenty of selfies and interacted on a personal level with fans more than any artist of his stature that I've ever seen.

This was facilitated by the winding, pathway-like stage that stretched across the arena floor, adorned with a few barren trees, giving himself two extra playing spaces in addition to the larger, standard stage. Timberlake, his dancers, and his band–the Tennessee Kids–moved back and forth between the stages constantly, playing to every corner of the venue. At one point, they even sang around a real campfire.

The best moments of the concert were the anthemic ones, like the rousing performances of "Mirrors" and "Say Something," the best track from his latest album. Two of his biggest hits, "SexyBack" and "Rock Your Body," felt tacked on and rushed through, so as to satisfy a requirement rather more than anything, which rendered them unsatisfying, though not fatally so.

Still, "The Man of the Woods Tour" is one of the most impressive and satisfying arena shows of the year. And despite my lukewarm feelings about a few moments in the show–and about his last album–Timberlake emerges triumphant as a superstar who, just maybe, still hasn't reached his peak.

Justin Timberlake and The Man of the Woods Tour continues to January 29, 2019. For tour information, visit his website.