What a swell NYE party – apart from being ignored by the host
Justin Bieber Live stream
Last year was the year of the live stream, with artists of every stripe and genre playing gigs to an audience stuck indoors. From bedroom sessions broadcast on social media to impressive full-production concerts recorded in deserted venues, they all, at the very least, offered a glimmer of comfort when it was needed most. And after a difficult Christmas and a New Year’s Eve, with most of England under Tier 4 restrictions, that need for connection has never been stronger.
So it seems bizarre that Justin Bieber apparently forgot that anyone was at home watching his special New Year’s Eve live stream from Los Angeles. At no point during the 75-minute set did the 26-year-old address his virtual audience, instead focusing all his attention on the handful of people
At no point during the 75-minute set did Bieber address his virtual audience
(which included Billie Eilish holding an “I heart JB” sign) who watched “IRL” from balconies of the nearby Beverly Hilton hotel. It made the whole experience more detached than it needed to be, which is a shame because, apart from being ignored by the host, Bieber’s party was a brilliant way to see in the New Year.
Taking full advantage of the impressive outdoor stage, the concert was peppered with fireworks, bursts of pyro and a light show that just got more extravagant with every track. Before this show, Bieber hadn’t played a full gig in more than 40 months and 2017’s stadium run in support of his fourth album, Purpose, saw him heavily criticised for his ego, his blatant lip-synching and the fact it felt like he didn’t even want to be on stage.
This one-off extravaganza couldn’t have been more different, as the singer
threw himself into complex, joyful dance routines while delivering a greatest hits set with confidence. Throughout the show, his energy never wavered, his impeccable vocals shone and it looked like he was genuinely having a blast. Biebs has never sounded better.
The sugary bops of Baby and Boyfriend were given an Rnb-inspired reworking, so they made sense alongside the slinking tracks from the recently released Changes, before he moved on to the chart-smashing Where Are U Now and the tropical house of What Do You Mean? There was then an urgent run-through of his latest singles; Holy, a driving angelic track, was dedicated to Bieber’s wife Hailey (“You are the absolute love of my whole existence”) while a new song, Anyone, was given its live debut.
A twinkling stadium anthem, it sounded like the perfect soundtrack to a summer of love, but its gooey romance wasn’t the best way to close a New Year’s Eve show, especially with social distancing making it harder to get that kiss at midnight. The closest Bieber got to addressing the world outside his heart came with a raw performance of the pianodriven Lonely. “This song is super personal … but really resonates with this time,” he explained before adding, “I know a lot of people are feeling lonely right now.”
The pop prince found himself caught somewhere between a slick arena show and something more intimate. As a result, the whole event felt more like a rehearsal than the biggest party of the year.