CONCERT
Justin Bieber
nib Stadium
REVIEW ROSS McRAE
2 stars
Going to a Justin Bieber concert is like being in a relationship with someone who really doesn't like you.
After achieving global fame as a teenager, the Canadian born singer-songwriter battled with stardom and brushes with the law as he grew up in the spotlight, at times appearing as if he was on the road to nowhere.
But with the help of American EDM superstars Skrillex and Diplo, under their collaborative effort Jack Ü, Bieber became the comeback kid of pop in early 2015 when they released the Grammy Award-winning club anthem Where Are Ü Now.
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Seeing the boost EDM gave to his credibility and chart success, Bieber followed it up in late 2015 with his fourth studio album Purpose, packed full of dance hall bangers and mid-tempo techno ballads that resulted in worldwide smashes Sorry and What Do You Mean?
It appeared moving away from the bubble-gum pop that made him an international phenomenon at the age of 16 had also re-sparked Bieber's interest in his career, live performance and his relationship with his dedicated fans (Beliebers), which at times had been combative.
But this wasn't the case when he kicked off the first Australian show of his Purpose World Tour in Perth on Monday night.
After a spectacular, pyrotechnic-laden opening set from Dutch DJ sensation Martin Garrix, it appeared the crowd was in for the dance party of the year.
How quickly the vibe changed once Bieber hit the stage in a Perspex cube to the strains of Mark My Words.
MARTIN GARRIX IN A SPIN OVER JUSTIN BIEBER GIG
Where Are Ü Now followed, girls screamed their lungs out, fireworks exploded, the lights on the stage went into a visual frenzy while dancers tried to take the energy levels even higher.
But then there was Bieber, at the centre of it all wearing a smirk, Adidas pants, sneakers and two sweatshirts of tour merchandise. Not really dancing, not really singing — there was no need because he had a backing track and a band to do all the work for him.
Sometimes he would just hold the microphone down and wander around almost aimlessly.
It was his first stadium show in Australia, and his biggest ever in Perth, with 25,000 in attendance (he played to 13,900 in 2011 at the Burswood Dome and 10,732 at Perth Arena in 2013).
But he appeared dead behind the eyes, unimpressed by the fans who were so excited to see him, unmoved by his music and wooden and out of time with his dancers, when he cared to acknowledge the rhythm.
The 23-year-old was saved somewhat by a terrific light and laser show, with the stage stretching into the floor of the venue.
The use of fireworks, however, was at times like a do-over of this year's Skyworks, but who is complaining when it was more entertaining than what was actually happening on the stage.
Bieber rarely spoke to the audience, and when he did he didn't really go off script. He first addressed the crowd before the sixth track, Boyfriend, the triple-platinum lead single from 2012's Believe.
"Ehhhh," he said as he rubbed his crotch before heading into the urban-pop hit.
When he slowed it down for the acoustic section, he was awkward when speaking.
"Is it always hot this time of year," he asked, still wearing a full tracksuit before performing solo Cold Water and the chart-topping Love Yourself.
While there were moments you could hear the soulful kid who was discovered on YouTube in 2007, his pitch was off and his heart wasn't in it.
He also made some condescending remarks to his crew about his acoustic guitar not being tuned and had to have security help him take off a gold bracelet that was banging against it.
"Who tuned this guitar by the way? Did you hear those notes?"
Perhaps coming in to Perth earlier than the morning of the show from the US would have allowed time for some better sound checking and vocal rest.
Most of the time when he did speak, it was like he was quoting The Secret by Rhonda Byrne, or Eckhart Tolle.
"Do you ever feel like you don't want to get out of bed? That's me 85 per cent of the time, but I don't want to waste life because (cue) Life is Worth Living," as he went into said album track from Purpose.
At another point he was backed by white-clad dancers and asked for some gospel-esque organ notes to play as he preached: "I put on a brave face but everything's not OK. I feel like that every day. Turn to the person next to you and say you're so special."
It was an uncomfortable moment, at odds with the tone of the show, where it felt like we were watching the transition of child pop star to celebrity evangelist.
But judging by the reaction on Monday night, he was already preaching to the converted.
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