Shropshire Star

Justin Bieber, Barclaycard Arena, Birmingham - review with pictures

Bieber fever has taken hold in Birmingham where last night and tonight some 30,000 fans of the 22-year-old pop megastar will have been filling the city centre arena.

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But don't scream while Justin is talking. He doesn't like it.

"Screaming is obnoxious," the multi-million-album selling Canadian 'icon of cool' told the fans last night when his call for hush was not fully respected.

"Do me a favour, relax for a second. Take a chill pill," said the baggy-panted pop phenomenon, brow briefly furrowed under backward baseball cap. "It doesn't feel like I am being heard."

It was one of a couple of odd moments, the other being his elongated drum solo which seemed strangely out of place in such a hi-tech state of the art spectacle of a show.

And what a show. High definition graphics meant it was sometimes hard to work out what was real and what was digital trickery. This was a concert for the Xbox One generation.

Bieber himself popped up and down like a jack in the box via various trap doors and elevators after appearing first in a perspex box scrawling the title of the opening song, Mark My Words, on the walls. Then came Where Are U Now with Bieber joining his team of gymnastic dancers in the jerky, semi-robotic dance routine that has become his trademark.

There were 21 songs in his one hour and 45 minute set, built around an intermission that seemed designed to sell more merchandise with a Birmingham-only T-shirt available in the break for £30. Most came from latest album Purpose, which gives this 123-concert tour its name. But a couple of old favourites got some of the biggest cheers, including Boyfriend and a revamped version of his breakthrough hit Baby. Since he last performed the latter in Brum, Bieber has grown up fast, gone bad boy and then reformed, gaining millions more fans and about 50 tattoos.

He proved he can sing with an acoustic interlude, sat upon a red velvet couch and strummed his guitar for a version of Major Lazer's Cold Water and his recent hit Love Yourself.

Other highlights included Company, where Bieber and co took off over the arena somersaulting on a trampolene, and the tick-tock terrific What Do You Mean?

The vocals were a blend of live and recorded, apparent several times when Bieber lowered the mic but his voice carried on. I don't think that bothered the fans at all. They want a dancing and singing star and recreating the machined-tooled sound of the Purpose album leaves no room for gasps.

He did get briefly philosophical on the subject of Purpose, before plugging the merch one last time before the encore, Sorry, sent fans home happy just after 11pm. I know his Purpose - to make shed loads of money and brilliantly catchy R&B flavoured pop songs. He does it very well. I've seen his fate and I am a Belieber.

He back in the West Midlands to play the Genting Arena at the NEC on October 24 but that's sold out too.

By Leon Burakoswski

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