Why is everyone talking about Justin Bieber all of a sudden?
The pop star is in town for two dates at the 3Arena in Dublin. The shows are sold out through the regular channels. Second-hand tickets are available on the likes of Viagogo for €180 if you can't bear to miss it, though the #ticketfairy tag on Twitter had quite a few for sale at closer to face value.
Has he reinvented himself?
— Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) October 30, 2016
Well, sort of. He’s been trying to leave the pop image behind and create a more edgy persona so he can gain himself that elusive “artistic credibility” that is high on every pop act’s rider.
Aha. So he’s put away childish things and become a professional artist?
Eh, not quite. At a recent show in the Manchester Arena he walked off stage because the crowd wouldn't stop screaming during his songs. He then attempted to explain the walk off with a rambling video message on Twitter.
But surely he has learned from his mistakes?
Well, he reacted quite badly to one Irish fan's attempt to film him on Grafton Street over the weekend. But if someone was following you with a cameraphone filming your every move, I imagine you'd be quite annoyed as well. Were with the Beebs on this one.
Quite. Anything more I need to know?
Under 16s for the show need to be accompanied by an adult. Under 14s are not permitted in the general admission or standing areas. Those looking to park at the event can use the Point Village car park (€13) but need to book through ticketmaster.ie. There will also be extra trams on the Luas red line for the show. Or you could just walk down. Justin is a big fan of the fitness, don't you know.
And what time will I get some Bieber action?
Doors are at 6.30pm. Support act Mic Lowry (it says here they are a boyband, rather than a brass necked politician looking to make a few quid on a musical side gig) should start at 7.30pm, with Bieber expected at 8.40pm. Assuming the fans keep their screaming to a manageable level, the show is expected to end at 10.50pm.
And what if I don’t have a ticket?
Fear not. We'll have a full gig review on irishtimes.com, which will be almost as good as being there.
