Last night I had one of the hottest tickets in town, a seat in prime position at the Justin Bieber concert at Melbourne's Rod Laver Arena. As much as I hate admitting so, I was rather excited about seeing such a phenomenon take place. Not to mention the fact that Take 40 HQ has Bieber Fever.
After what felt like a stampede of elephants dancing to the DJ, and an on-screen countdown ticking down the seconds till Justin's arrival, Rod Laver Arena erupted with elated screams -- like one massive communal teen-gasm -- at the sight of the 17-year-old heartthrob dancing his way around the stage.
CLICK HERE to see all our up close photos from Justin's show!
During most of the dance routines, Justin's singing was erm... let's say it was 'assisted' by a backing tape of the original recording. It's safe to say that as Justin has grown up, so has his voice and he now sings in a lightly lower register than the original tracks!
The Biebs broke it down to an acoustic set -- just him and his guitar -- showing off part one of his musical talents. Later to come, a drum solo and a piano set.
There's absolutely no denying that Justin Bieber is one talented kid. Being a whiz on the drums, singing ability and boyish good looks are all factors in what drew Usher's attention to Bieber years ago. Today, with the choreography, street talk and all round 'cool' factor, Usher's influence is evident.
Justin thrilled his adoring crowd, performing all his songs, especially the 'One Less Lonely Girl' part of the show, where one lucky girl from the audience gets a short serenade... swoon!
The catchy Usher duet 'Somebody To Love' had everyone dancing, as did Bieber's Michael Jackson tribute (which was oddly followed by an Aerosmith cover -- someone should tell Justin his fans' parents were probably fetuses when the track was released)!
CLICK HERE to see all our up close photos from Justin's show!
With his squeaky clean image, Justin made sure his fans took home some important life lessons: 1 -- don't text and drive, 2 -- bullying is bad.
To prove this Justin called upon Casey Heynes, the boy now famous for standing up to a bully and having it all caught on video. Together they inspired us all to stand up for ourselves and 'Never Say Never'!
Of course, the pinnacle of the night was the encore, with Justin finishing up with his hit 'Baby' getting the biggest reaction of the show.
All in all Justin definitely did a great show and despite my concerns early on in the concert... by the end I was dancing away in awe! Uh-oh... I think I am a Belieber.
Review by Imran Munawar - a Belieber who still has his hearing intact.