By Cynthia Andary
Tuesday, March 2nd, 2022. The day my childhood became complete. This statement may sound a little dramatic, but it has always been a childhood dream of mine to see Justin Bieber in concert. I always wished to be the lucky girl brought on stage as he performed “One Less Lonely Girl”. I booked the tickets to his concert two days prior with my boyfriend, making these plans very last minute, but very worth it.
Luckily, we arrived at the perfect time. The lines were not long and we did not have to wait for much time before we were let in. Almost everyone was sporting their Drew (Justin Bieber’s clothing brand) hoodies. I purchased one before going to the concert, but, sadly, it did not come in time for me to wear it. It would have been so cool if he sold his Drew brand at the concert, but he did not since his brand features exclusive drops and hard-to-get merchandise. As soon as we entered, we spotted the merch stand. I had the hardest time choosing what to get while waiting in the long line, but I ended up getting the coolest orange hoodie, which I now wear all the time.
The first opener was an upcoming artist, Eddie Benjamin, who did an amazing job performing despite not having much concert experience. He has a beautiful voice and great guitar skills. Benjamin played his new song, “Weatherman” for the first time, and I was a huge fan. I have been listening to it ever since and have discovered a few more of his songs that I also enjoy listening to.
What do you call a living icon? Jaden Smith: the main opener of the concert. Well, I wouldn’t say he was an icon, especially because he tried to get the crowd hyped up but failed to be exciting. Unfortunately, his performance was dull. However, the video effects displayed on the screen behind him were super intriguing and although I didn’t know much of his music, his song “Icon” was a well know hit which I enjoyed seeing live. My biggest problem with the concert was that Justin and Jaden didn’t perform “Never Say Never”.
Then came the moment I had been waiting for all night. Justin Bieber took the stage coming out of an inflatable airplane. I couldn’t hold it in; I was screaming like crazy. I had warned my boyfriend, but he still wasn’t prepared for my excitement. I had been anticipating this moment since I booked the tickets, and there he was so casually coming out of an airplane. His voice was amazing. My heart dropped when he began to sing “Love Yourself” because his voice was so angelic. His experience truly showed as he performed because he had been doing this since he was a little kid. Hearing “Baby” was awesome. Even though it’s hard to pick a favorite song, I was so excited for “Anyone” and “Off My Face”.
This concert was money well spent and I am so glad I got to experience it with someone so close to me. I walked out of the arena with the biggest grin on my face and could not stop talking about it for days after. It was truly a great experience.