Justin Bieber honked off scores of young fans, showing up late March 4 for the first stop of his “Believe” tour.
The O2 concert venue of North Greenwich, where Bieber proved tardy, issued this statement:
Due to unforeseen circumstances beyond our control, Justin Bieber arrived late on stage for the first night of his UK tour, Believe [sic].
The Justin Bieber “Believe” concert was slated to begin with opening acts at 6:30 p.m. local time, which it did. But the 19-year-old Canadian pop star failed to appear onstage until well after 10 p.m., as countless parents pulled their disappointed young music fans, calling it a night, despite having spent $100 or more per ticket.
Plenty of concertgoers complained of having to depart from the Bieber concert shortly after the teen idol began, simply to catch the last train home.
When Bieber finally took the stage, he was greeted by boos from the audience, who had been listening to piped-in Michael Jackson recordings until the boy singer showed up.
Without missing a beat, the O2 Twitter feed posted a conciliatory note, as Bieber performed. “Sorry to all the Justin Bieber fans for the lateness of his show tonight. The Tube will still be running when the show finishes.”
Gee, somehow that’s not quite the same as witnessing a live show. Ask any “Belieber.”
Still, some fans were willing to forgive the towheaded pop star for his tardiness.
"It's fine, it's Justin Bieber… it doesn't matter," said a teen who attended the event.
The morning after, Justin Bieber posted an apology for his lateness on Twitter:
i was 40 min late to stage. there is no excuse for that and I apologize for anyone we upset. However it was great show and Im proud of that [sic]
The apology appeared after this remark, claiming he was only 40 minutes late, rather than the two-hour tardiness bandied about by a multitude of fans and music sources.
last night i was scheduled after 3 opening acts to go on stage at 935 not 830 but because of some technical issues i got on at 10:10..so...{sic]
What’s the moral of the story?
Maybe a pop star who plays to teenyboppers ought to add a few matinee gigs to his tour schedule.
Justin Bieber’s “Believe” tour gig in London continues through March 8 at the O2.
Will Justin Bieber's pop star halo be tarnished by his tardiness in London? Time will tell.
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