Mumbai: The frenzy caused by Justin Bieber’s concert in Navi Mumbai on Wednesday was palpable even a kilometre away from the D.Y. Patil Stadium at Nerul. When it’s the Canadian popstar performing, everything else must stop. Billboards dotting the road announced his arrival as Bieliebers made their way to the venue.
The relationship between Bieber and Beliebers goes beyond that of a superstar and fans and resembles that of an idol and its worshippers. From JB glow bands to Bieber sticky tattoos, the fans wore their love for the pop star on their sleeves.
The concert started off with opening acts by Indian artists DJ Sartek, followed by DJ Zaeden. The crowd went berserk when singer Alan Walker walked on stage around 6.15 pm and sang Faded, followed by Desiigner, who made the crowd go wild with Panda.
However, the star attraction was Bieber, who — clad in a white T-shirt and black shorts, appeared on the LED-studded stage only around 8.15 pm. The fans went wild when Bieber said, “You guys are the coolest. Hope you’re ready to have the best night. The sun shines differently here. Thank you so much for having me.”
Actors Arbaaz Khan and Malaika Arora snapped prior to the event; A group of enthusiastic Bieber fans pose prior to the concert. (Photo: Shripad Naik)
The global star started off his set by singing Mind Your Ways and proceeded to sing other crowd-pleasers like Where are you now?, followed by Been you, No sense, Boyfriend, ‘I’ll show you, Sorry, Baby, Love Yourself and What do you Mean? According to the organisers, over 30,000 fans attended the concert. He also performed the unplugged version of his hit Cold Water and other hits.
If you thought it was only Bieber who was preparing for his setlist, you couldn’t be more wrong. One of the thousands of fans that made the stadium roar with excitement was the 17-year-old Mallika Mohal who came all the way from Nepal for the concert. “Everything about him excites me so much — the way he carries himself, the way he dresses and his voice! His songs touch my heart,” said Mallika, who’s part of a teenage gang of girls, all self-proclaimed crazy Bieber fans.
Ginisia Kadam (14), another JB fan, said that she was attending the concert in spite of having her tooth extracted the pervious day. The diehard fan could barely speak because of the pain. Her mother explained, “She listens to his songs all the time. Look, she’s here despite the surgery.”
Known for his antics, the singer welcomed 100 underprivileged children, who had received free tickets. He hugged them and spoke to them on the stage.
Another group of JB fans has been prepping up for the day since a month. “We have been planning what to wear for the concert for a month now. All we care about is that he is finally here. All of us just love Justin Bieber,” said Pooja Gupta (24), a diehard fan.
Bandra couple Sandip and Vriddhi Sharma were in the general entry area while their kids were inside the platinum area. “We enjoy music! Back in the day, we went to all sorts of concerts. Bryan Adams, Madonna, and others. And we wanted our kids to have the same fun too” they said. The singer ended his concert around 10.15 saying, Sorry. He promised to return and meet his fans, “I’ll come back,” he said.
