LEAVE JUSTIN BIEBER ALONE
There’s no dancing around it: Justin Bieber is a bit of a mess – not just as a regular dude, but as an entertainer and a media entity.
From run-ins with the law to questionable romantic entanglements, he has a history of rambunctious tomfoolery behind him. So when news came out on Monday ( just hours after being spotted at a 7/11 shirtless) that he would be cancelling the remainder of his Purpose World Tour due to “unforeseen circumstances” ( just days after getting banned from performing in China due to past “bad behaviour”), the immediate response was somewhat warranted: “What did he do this time?”
Fans up in arms over missing the Beebz were left questioning his reasoning, with some reports suggesting he was quitting music altogether to start a church (um, false). In a video obtained by TMZ, Bieber said, with the smile of someone whose burdens have just evaporated, “Everything’s fine. I’ve been on tour for two years. I love you guys. I think you guys are awesome. Sorry for anybody who feels disappointed or betrayed, it’s not my heart or anything. Have a blessed day. ... Just resting, getting some relaxation. We’re gonna ride some bikes.”
All of which suggests, believe it or not, Bieber is actually making a smart decision by knowing when to take a break before his body and brain up and quit. At 23 years old, he’s been on tour for two years non-stop (and six out of the last eight years), with a pattern that has a habit of repeating itself.
In March 2013, a day before getting into a scuffle with paparazzi, he collapsed on stage at London’s 02 arena from exhaustion. Go figure that with a packed calendar, he might be tired and then lash out at those around him the following day. You get busy, you get exhausted and you act out and do stupid things – especially when you’re in your early 20s, have no parents around and all the money in the world at your beck and call.
Of course, it’s easy to mock a highly successful person for their shortcomings, and suggest that if he’s going to reap the benefits of being in the public eye, then he should also be willing to pay the cost. However, I imagine that it’s incredibly difficult for any of us to understand the extent of the toll that fame at Bieber’s level takes.
It was just last year, while performing on stage in Europe, that he asked the crowd to stop screaming for him. Then, the ecstatic screams quickly turned to a chorus of boos. He tried to reason with the crowd: “My point of the ‘no screaming’ thing is when I’m looking you in the eyes, you can actually know that we’re having a moment, having a connection, right? So it’s not me trying to be an asshole, it’s simply me wanting to have a moment. I dedicated my life to performing. I dedicated my life to try to bring smiles to these faces and I feel like people are just not giving me the same respect back is all. It hurts a little bit.”
If that’s not a cry for help, I’m not sure what is, but his relationship with his fans has only gotten more complicated since, with the rabid love continuing to grow, but the hate as well. When he jumbled the lyrics to his current No. 1 hit, Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s “Despacito,” he was booed mercilessly and eviscerated online.
It seems like Bieber is tired. It makes sense: I’m tired just compiling his history. We’re so used to hearing about young stars and performers collapsing from exhaustion, or resorting to rehab to recover from the spoils of massive fame and fortune; it’s that classic cautionary Hollywood tale. We don’t have to cry for Justin Bieber, who created plenty of trouble for himself, but there is something to be said for a 23-yearold who knows when to call for a timeout. If he wants to ride bikes, let him ride bikes. I think he’s earned it and, most importantly, needs it.