Troubles pile up as Justin Bieber gets even more erratic
JUSTIN Bieber had already performed more than 150 times across six continents when he abruptly cancelled the remaining 15 shows on his “Purpose” tour.
“Unforeseen circumstances” was the official reason given on Monday, but that’s pretty murky. The rumours as to what really happened have flooded the internet and gossip sites. Was he just sick of it? Was he planning to start his own church?
Bieber’s long-time manager Scooter Braun apologised for the tour’s sudden end. “A man’s soul and well being I truly care about came first and We must all respect and honour that,” Braun wrote on Instagram. “Justin will be back and I know he looks forward to performing for you and with you all again. One chapter ends and another begins.”
The paparazzi and tabloids have been following Bieber closely since the sudden cancellation. On Wednesday night, Bieber hit a paparazzo with his truck as he pulled out of a driveway following a church event in Beverly Hills, local police told CNN.
The pop singer stayed on the scene during the investigation, and a 57-year-old man was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injures, Beverly Hills Lt. Scott Dowling told CNN. No citations were issued. A video of the incident published by TMZ shows Bieber getting out of his truck to check on the man.
It’s all a dramatic end to the the past 16 months of Bieber being on his tour. Here’s a look back at some events, starting soon after the tour began on Mar 9, 2016, in Seattle.
— Mar 22, 2016: Bieber cancels fan meet-and-greets because they leave him “drained and unhappy” — May 2, 2016: Tiger-gate Bieber posted a photo of himself petting a chained tiger at his father’s Toronto engagement party, and animal rights activists were not pleased. Peta alleged that the tiger came from Bowmanville Zoo, whose owner resigned after being charged with five counts of animal cruelty.
— June 9, 2016: Video surfaces of Bieber in a Cleveland fistfight
TMZ publishes a video of a man who slaps at Bieber’s head, with the singer throwing fists back. (The singer was in town during the NBA finals.)
— Nov 22, 2016: Bieber’s accused of punching a fan in Spain
TMZ once again publishes a video purportedly showing Bieber throwing punches, this time in Barcelona. A group of screaming fans crowded around a car in which Bieber was riding. The video shows a man sticking his arm through the window, then Bieber punching out.
A fan was later shown with a bloody mouth.
— June 10, 2017: Almost gets hit by a bottle for not knowing “Despacito”
Bieber tells the crowd at Summerburst Festival 2017 in Stockholm that he “can’t do ‘Despacito.’ I don’t even know it.”
Someone in the audience throws a beer bottle at his head, which he ducks. “Don’t throw things at me, please,” Bieber said.
— July 21, 2017: Bieber banned by China for “bad behaviour”
Beijing’s culture bureau explained Bieber was banned from performing in the country because of his “on and offstage antics.”
“Justin Bieber is a gifted singer, but he is also a controversial young foreign singer,” the bureau said in a statement. “As far as we are concerned, he has engaged in a series of bad behaviours, both in his social life and during a previous performance in China, which caused discontent among the public.” — Washington Post