Bieber seeks mercy from fans on ‘ Purpose’
Justin Bieber is determined to win back his fans — whatever it takes.
On his “Purpose” world tour, which arrived at the SAP Center in San Jose on Thursday night, March 17, the fallen pop idol serenaded them with an acoustic guitar, dazzled them with elaborate dance routines, showed off his drumming skills, did backflips on a trampoline suspended over their heads and fell on bended knee to hold their hands and whisper sweet nothings in their ears. Oh, and in case that didn’t do the trick, Bieber closed the 90- minute set by ripping off his shirt and walking through a waterfall — yes, right there onstage — as he grabbed his crotch and mouthed the words to his irresistible tropical house hit, “Sorry.”
“I’m so lucky to be doing this,” said the 22- year- old Canadian singer, with as much solemnity as he could muster on the fifth date of the tour, which will hit 58 cities in all ( including Oracle Arena in Oakland on Friday, March 18).
Things are looking up for Bieber after a turbulent spell that kept his name in the tabloids for everything from abandoning his pet monkey in a German airport to kicking a member of the paparazzi.
In the past year, Bieber’s hard- driving comeback effort has resulted in his first Grammy win and a new album, “Purpose,” that has already spawned three No. 1 singles. He has been embraced by EDM stars Diplo and Skrillex, as well as the world’s biggest all- around critic, Kanye West.
The fans at the SAP Center certainly seemed ready to move on from the hard times. They came bearing homemade signs and T- shirts, along with the kind of forgiveness that can only be expressed by screaming at top volume at Bieber’s every little movement.
At one point, Bieber pulled a woman from the audience onstage to help adjust his man bun, a moment that left nearly all of the other Beliebers in the room on the verge of tears.
The set list, meanwhile, running the gamut from his teen- pop hits from 2010 like “Baby” and “Boyfriend” through the as- yet- unreleased “Insecurities,” played acoustically on a couch alongside “Love Yourself” and “Home to Mama,” reinforced his standing as a pop wunderkind who’s not going away any time soon.
Under his floppy blond fringe and perpetual pout, Bieber seemed less certain — almost as if he expected a harder battle ahead.
His between- song banter was stiffer than his abs, and he flitted tentatively around the fluid whirl of his backup dancers, looking thoroughly uncomfortable in his increasingly absurd wardrobe changes ( in all fairness, nobody should be subjected to a Marilyn Manson T- shirt paired with a plaid kilt). It’s almost as if he’s so caught up in seeking redemption that he’s forgetting to actually enjoy it now that it’s here.
Bieber closed the 90- minute set by ripping off his shirt and walking through a waterfall.