Some of my friends in Mumbai were raving, others were ranting. But all I could do in Calcutta was sulk about not going for the Justin Bieber Purpose World Tour. I walked past ONLY in Quest mall and all I could see was Bieber merchandise, bags and tees stamped with his cute face. I refrained from buying anything because until Tuesday afternoon I had no plans of going to the concert. I would probably never wear his tee and proclaim myself a Belieber.
But Never Say Never. By an extraordinary turn of events, a day later I was on a flight that was taking me to Bieber! It was filled with teenagers raving about you-know-who. A PYT couldn’t believe <insert epic sighs and aaahs here> that JB was finally coming to Mumbai. Some of their parents looked bored or switched-off. Suddenly I was that teenage girl going home from school and listening to Baby for the first time with a silly grin on my face.
It’s been seven years since. But it felt like yesterday when that silly grin returned to my face at the concert on Wednesday evening, attended by 45,000 fans. Twelve hours after the show concluded with a bang — and we were all Sorry that it had to end! — here’s keying in the timeline of t2’s brush with Bieber.
4.30pm: You can feel the concert vibes 10 minutes away from the stadium because of the crazy traffic. Left, right or ahead, all you can spot are cars filled with GenY, and many crooning Baby by then. Half an hour later, we reach the DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai. DJ Sartek is pumping up the crowd with his music at the console and to my surprise, the ground is already 50 per cent full. The highlight of the arrangements is the chopper service that helps fans avoid the crazy traffic. Yes, some of them are flown directly to the venue in just a few minutes! #LikeABoss
5.30pm: DJ Zaeden takes over to pep up the crowd and set the mood right for Norwegian music producer Alan Walker, scheduled to open for Justin Bieber.
6.30pm: The sun is still bright and the energy levels high. The stadium is packed and people are singing to Walker hits Sing Me To Sleep and Alone. But the loudest cheer is saved for his hit party number Faded which he ends his set with. “Mumbai...India, you guys have been amazing...thank you so much. My name is Alan Walker, Mumbai... India, you know how to love!” signs off the DJ/producer at 7.45pm.
8pm: The lights go off. The crowd goes berserk. The time has come to watch the man of the moment. While some call out ‘Justin Justin!’ others look up at the sky to see if he would make an entry from the helicopter. As the tension builds up every second, one cannot but help feel the actual Bieber fever!
8.12pm: The grand entry. Lights still out, the stage suddenly lights up. And there he is — Justin Bieber! But no, wait, it’s him on the screen but not on the stage yet! The cameras are poised, ready to click. Many Beliebers are almost in tears because The Moment is here. Others have gone on record mode with their phones. And then boom, the stadium is filled with his voice: ‘Love, Respect and Purpose’. There is no missing the grand entry! There is Justin Bieber, in flesh, wearing his trademark baggy white tee and shorts, emerging from the centre of the stage singing Mark My Words from his album Purpose.
8.15pm and onwards: Beliebers are shrieking their lungs out as the 23-year-old walks towards the head ramp tying the laces of his shorts and kneels to do a namaste, while singing (or lip-syncing as I heard later) Where Are U Now. The vibe in the stadium is electrifying as the sky is lit up with fireworks. “How are you guys doing in Mumbai? It is such a privilege to be here... you guys are the coolest, what a beautiful night! But I’ve heard, the sun shines differently here, thank you for having me here,” says JB before going on to sing I’ll Show You. Show us he does. What happens in the next 90 minutes is history as the star enthrals a packed DY Patil Stadium with his voice, love and message. Everything else is a blur.
His Wow Performance
If you thought Justin Bieber was all about singing Baby with his hands placed on his heart then you are wrong. The Canadian sensation largely sang tracks like Company, What Do You Mean? and Purpose from his Purpose album and also filled his playlist with pop picks like Boyfriend. His performance was backed up with pyrotechnics, 600 moving heads, around 300 square metres of LED, dancers and continuous fireworks lighting up the sky. The singer showed his guitar skills too when he strummed to Cold Water followed by Love Yourself. The 45,000 Beliebers sang out the song as Justin continued to play the guitar. He moved on to show off his dancing skills in sync with the group dancers to As Long As You Love Me. Justin kept the already charged up crowd on their toes as he urged them to say ‘Mumbai’ and ‘India’ at regular intervals.
The Star Quotient
Belieber or not, there was no missing B-town at the concert. Star parents like Arjun Rampal, Sonali Bendre, Sridevi and Boney Kapoor, and Malaika Arora and Arbaaz Khan dropped in at the concert with their kids. Other stars spotted in the VIP lounge included Alia Bhatt, Jacqueline Fernandez, Armaan Malik, Ayan Mukerji, Arjun Tendulkar, Pooja Hegde, Rhea Chakraborty and Urvashi Rautela.
The Aww Moment
When he danced with kids while singing Children and asked each of them their names and hugged them goodbye! ‘Hug me baby! I love you’ and deep sighs filled the stadium. Justin soon got his cray fans into a tizzy when he said, ‘So, who wants to be my baby?’ teasing them before singing his 2010 hit — Baby! That was cue for the crowd to chorus with their heart-throb. Baby even got Alia Bhatt to Instagram a snap with her sister Shaheen from the venue.
