On Christmas day, my mom surprised me with tickets to Justin Bieber’s Purpose world tour, and I broke out in hysterical happy tears. I haven’t always been a supporter, but following the release of Bieber’s most recent album, Purpose, on November 13, 2015, I was immediately hooked to the poetic and unique feel of his new music. Following months and months of repeatedly blaring the lyrics of the 18 songs on the album, (“Purpose” being my favorite track), I was anxiously anticipating June 19, the day the singer was arriving in Minneapolis.

The seven month wait zoomed by faster than I expected. Before I knew it, I was standing in line, getting my bag checked at the Target Center by security. Excitement was rushing through my veins as I strode through the doors of the huge stadium to my seats. Impatiently waiting for an opening act to signal the start of the show, I could barely contain myself.Molly Bowen

The first performer was Moxie Raia, who I previously had never heard of. She sang powerful songs accompanied with a great voice, but the ecstatic crowd was hyped to see Justin Bieber perform so they, including myself, didn’t pay a whole lot of attention to the aspiring artist. The next opener was Post Malone, best known for his single “White Inversion.” His songs were more R&B, which I personally enjoyed more than Raia’s pop tunes. After an hour of listening to the opening acts, it was finally time to see Bieber.

Looking incredibly real, the show started off with amazing graphics on the screens behind the stage. Justin gradually rose from the stage in a glass box, and it was incredibly surreal realizing he was truly right in front of my face, a real person. The thought I was having in that moment is something that the singer stresses; he is a real person, he makes mistakes just like everyone else because he is human, referring to the rocky years prior when he got into some legal trouble. “I’ll Show You” is his single that addresses his plea, including the phrase “Don’t forget that I’m human/Don’t forget that I’m real,” which was performed on a raised trampoline above the audience during his show.

Bieber’s vocals astonished me most when it was solely his black guitar and him on a pink couch, playing “Love Yourself.” A nice change from the upbeat tracks, this part of the concert felt very personal and raw. There were no dancers taking attention away from the main act, no distracting graphics on the screens. The scene exclusively consisted of Bieber and his fans, and that’s something I valued. It felt as if he desperately wanted to connect with his supporters and give them a performance that would leave an impression on them long after the concert was finished, and he surely succeeded. Walking out of the Target Center, I was remarkably content with the concert, grateful to witness one of my favorite artists perform the album I knew by heart. He lived up to my expectations, maybe even exceeded them. Deciding to look at some reviews of the concert, I was shocked by what I saw.
Some of the biggest forms of media in Minnesota were trashing Bieber’s show with remarks like, “Not only was Bieber, 22, expressionless, he seemed hopelessly detached and disconnected from his worshipful fans,” the Star Tribune expressed. The Twin Cities Pioneer Press claimed, “The robotic Bieber, however, barely felt engaged with any of it – not the crowd, not the dozen-plus dancers and certainly not the music. He rarely smiled or appeared to be enjoying himself. He only spoke in the blandest of bland platitudes.” After considering these remarks, I decided that I slightly agreed that he was lacking spunk, but I didn’t let that take away from my amazing experience of seeing one of the biggest icons in the industry perform live.