Being one of the biggest names in pop music, Justin Bieber is no stranger to everything that comes along with the fame – the sold-out arena crowds of screaming fans, the popstar style choices, the pressures of being judged, the list goes on.
Most reviews of his shows on this tour haven’t been so positive, with the main argument being that he seems to simply be going through the motions. But it’s a pop concert, what expectations can anyone have? Sure, he did the dance routines and he wasn’t particularly smiling, but he still did the dance routines. He still sang all the hits. He still made an entire arena scream all night.
To start his Monday night show at Bridgestone Arena, Bieber was lowered from the ceiling over the stage in a glass box while writing on the walls and performing the opening song “Mark My Words.” He followed up with a very dance-y rendition of “Where Are U Now” surrounded by dancers and acrobats.
Throughout the night he would play hit after hit and transition between solo acoustic moments and full throttle pop spectacles complete with pyrotechnics.
Bieber is a performer, and he appears to be good at his job. The energy in the arena never faded from the buzz just before he took the stage and only elevated as soon as he appeared. You could be critical and judge if he appeared to be liking the night, which he seemed to because according to his Twitter Nashville was “one of the best shows yet.” But what would be the point in questioning that anyways? His job is to please his audience and he certainly worked hard enough to put on a show to live up to their expectations and give them a memorable Monday night.