It's not easy to progress from being a tween and teen singer to an adult pop star with actual musical credibility, but Justin Bieber has managed to do just that, at least creatively anyway.
Known as much for his petulance as for his hits, Bieber’s musical progression ensures an older crowd than you’d expect at the first of his Dublin concerts .
The vehicle for Bieber’s creative transition is the album Purpose, which is also the name of the tour he’s bringing to Dublin’s 3Arena on Tuesday night.
Dispensing with overly saccharine throwaway pop in favour of tunes and beats that both define and channel contemporary pop, appreciation of his actual musical chops is widespread in the venue.
Sean (19) and Andrew (19), from Dundalk, are in the venue's upstairs area as the support act finishes.
“I like the way loads of girls are attracted to his music,” Sean said, in the queue for the bar.
“His music has matured an awful lot, you’d find a lot of lads listening to it now,” Andrew said.
“But we’re into it because of the girls,” Sean said. Andrew shook his head: “Don’t mind him. He’s got quality tunes, that’s all.”
Samantha Brennan (18) and Kelly Connolly (20), from Edenderry, met Jennifer Ryan (22) and Chloe Martin (22), from Bray , for the first time just an hour before the show, but are already fans in arms.
“When he was younger he was real innocent,” Chloe said. “Now he doesn’t give a s***. Too right, everyone has to grow up.”
“Sometimes I think he takes criticism badly, but he just wants to be heard,” Jennifer said.
“When he’s telling people to shush, he just wants to be heard and express himself. He could be going through stuff like any of us.”
Show time
Indeed, the show begins with a video narrated by Bieber with the message: “I know what it’s like to fall.”
Bieber then emerges from below the stage in a literal glass cage of emotion, before being suspended in the air.
He then starts “performing” one of his hits ,Where Are U Now?, although the vocal was clearly not live, possibly because of the hectic choreography.
In any case, the vocal was overshadowed by the tinnitus-inducing screaming of the crowd.
Bieber’s backing dancers and a laser-, light- and pyro-laden production were on point, but early on in the show, the man himself appeared to be elsewhere, and was sullen in expression.
He also spends time early on delivering a self-congratulatory speech about how it’s him against the world, despite his flaws.
However, as the show progressed, that famous, brilliant voice started to scale the heights it’s capable of.
Read the full review on irishtimes.com
