Justin Bieber
18th March 2017
Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand
Review by Kate Taylor. Photography by Doug Peters.
I’m not sure anyone in attendance could really have prepared themselves for seeing Justin Bieber live. The sense of excitement, anxiety and general wonderment was thick in the air as a darkened Mt Smart Stadium awaited the arrival of a modern phenom. Say whatever negative things you like about Bieber if you must; but this meticulous 23yr old multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and dancer hasn’t got an average of 19 million Spotify plays per month for nothing. He’s a bonafide superstar, beyond age and fanship categorisation as the diverse mix of audience attested to.
Presenting the Auckland leg of his Purpose World Tour; Justin Bieber has picked an interesting aesthetic theme, which covers the gamut from ultra-cool metal band merch styled tees; to the stadium rock gig fonts that loomed over the waiting on giant high definition screens. Then all of a sudden, Justin was there and although the screams were deafening, they weren’t as brain liquefying as I feared they would be. Appearing from the floor amid a mind tingling array of very slick audio visual content and to the strains of Mark My Words; Justin was enclosed in a glass cube, writing messages on the walls as he sang.
This commonality of theme features often: of feeling trapped, on display, of faux religious imagery or of being caged as he is literally in the incredible stage and audio visual design of I’ll Show You. Using the full and impressive stage set, Justin accesses the crowd in a truly impressive manner; startling me into realising over and over again that despite his array of incredibly skilled dancers, or his insanely precise band; Justin is just one dude with the attention of thousands in the palm of his hand. Past a quick bash out of some Top 40 hits, Justin presented a curated and perfectly timed set featuring interactive multimedia screens, multiple rising stages that elevated from the floor, sliding moving stage areas, it really was perhaps the most impressive stage design I think I’ve ever seen; and certainly ever seen at Mt Smart.
By the time Boyfriend rolled around, the nerves had shook out for everyone and the place was one big communal grin as Justin threw winks and smiles to the crowd and slid between plumes of stage smoke. Taking things down a notch, Justin treated us all to Love Yourself and Cold Water in a mini acoustic set, just Justin, on a couch playing the guitar and it’s here that he truly relaxed, chatting comfortably with the crowd, indulging in some crowd participation and working the room like it was a little corner pub.
Company was an all-out dance jam with Bieber and what seemed like 20 dancers rising into the sky, cavorting their asses off. No Pressure featured a cool, jazzy band breakdown and some one-on-one stage show antics between The Beebs and a would-be partner dancer. As Long As You Love Me was a moody, green laser serrated affair studded with metal-esque guitar solos. As Justin nails that rendition, he then climbs behind a very impressive drum kit to bang out a solid two minute drum solo, 15 feet above the stage and crowd below. During Children, Justin was joined by a local troop of junior dancers, who absolutely slayed, not in that aww cute look at them way, but in that they actually stomped. Justin took extra time, making a big fuss of grabbing an extra mic to chat and high five with these impressive kids (Shout outs to Erin, Kyra Lee, Caleb, Devonte and anyone’s name I missed – you guys were amazing!)
Taking it down to a torchlight song on Life Is Worth Living, the minimalist stage became a haunting spot where Justin ruminated and reminded exactly the ethos of the song’s title as the entire basin of Mt Smart was illuminated by cell phone torches. The message resonated further in the lead up to Purpose, as Justin addressed the crowd as he did so often during the night, saying this time that “sometimes we’ve got to remember we’re so lucky to be living this life, no one asked to be here, and you’ve got to live in your purpose…thank you for helping me to live my purpose.”
Bringing it home to a joyful finale, Justin packed in the party vibes on an encore featuring Sorry and Baby which were stage smoked, laser beam, pyrotechnic, choreographic eye candy, exploding with glee and delighting Justin’s fans. This appearance was a moment in time for an artist at the absolute pinnacle of their early career; this performance was one for the ages.
Were you there at Mt Smart to witness this hugely epic gig? Or have you seen Justin Bieber live somewhere else? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Setlist:
- Mark My Words
- Where are Ü Now [Jack Ü Cover]
- Get Used To It
- I’ll Show You
- The Feeling
- Boyfriend
- Cold Water [Major Lazer Cover] (Acoustic)
- Love Yourself (Acoustic)
- Been You (Acoustic)
- Company
- No Sense
- Hold Tight
- No Pressure
- As Long As You Love Me
- Children
- Let Me Love You [DJ Snake Cover]
- Life Is Worth Living
- What Do You Mean?
- Baby
- Purpose
- Sorry (Encore)
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