“THERE’S NO cure for Bieber fever,” quipped 17-year-old pop sensation Justin Bieber in an interview, and there’s probably no cure for the buzzing in your ear after two hours’ exposure to the decibel levels generated by the 10,000-plus teens and preteens packed into the O2, screaming for their idol to appear onstage.
Bieber fever has hit Dublin, and parents are suddenly feeling the awesome force of hormone power, as their normally well-adjusted kids turn into crazed “Beliebers”, stalking their idol on Facebook, Twitter and even down Grafton Street, when a rumour spread that Bieber was shopping there.
At just 17, Bieber is a bona fide pop phenomenon, the youngest singer to top the US chart since Stevie Wonder in 1963. He has more than seven million followers on Twitter, fast catching up on Lady Gaga, more than 21 million Facebook friends, and already he is said to be worth more than $50 million. But the most amazing thing about this young heartthrob from Ontario, Canada, is that he’s achieved all this fame without the aid of a reality TV series or a Simon Cowell-esque svengali.
Ticket sales for Bieber’s two Dublin concerts (which sold out in 20 minutes) were strictly controlled to avoid touting.
At the O2, the fans were fired up from the start, screaming at anything that moved onstage. Support act Willow Smith (12-year-old daughter of Will Smith) whipped up the frenzy.
When the Bieb burst on stage, he didn't disappoint, delivering a slick, well choreographed show top-heavy with catchy R&B pop anthems, including One Less Lonely Girl, Somebody To Love, Never Let You Go and Baby. Flanked by male dancers, and dressed in space-age street gear, Bieber showed he had the moves, the voice, the tunes and – most importantly – the X factor.
Every generation of teenagers needs an outlet for their raging hormones, and Bieber was well up to the job. He charmed, flirted, sashayed, and he flew above the audience in a giant aluminium heart, serenading his Irish fans with an acoustic guitar. He played home movies tracing his rise from talented toddler to teen sensation. He even played piano and did a drum solo.
By the end, I’m almost deaf – and almost a Belieber.
