November 7, 2009

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Concert Review: Bieber, Justin

Kool Haus, Toronto - November 6, 2009
By JASON MacNEIL - Special To Sun Media
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TORONTO - He should be studying to get his learner's permit, but instead the success and buzz surrounding 15-year-old Canadian teenage idol Justin Bieber means he'll probably be able to buy his choice of wheels first.

After being a hit on YouTube with his various covers, and getting the attention of Usher, Wyclef Jean and Justin Timberlake among others, Bieber - who calls Stratford, Ontario home - played a well-attended show to hundreds of shrieking teenage (and preteen) gals Friday night at Toronto's Kool Haus.

Performing just seven songs over roughly 35 minutes, Bieber had all the stage swagger and moxie Usher and Timberlake have honed over the years. The only drawback might be the inane choreography (with two male dancers alongside) during a few songs, including the leadoff tune Bigger from the upcoming album My World.

Working the frenzied crowd throughout and mentioning how fans in Montreal, Edmonton and London were louder, Bieber removed his baseball cap during One Less Lonely Girl, placing it on a girl on stage which he serenaded during the tune.

Unfortunately, the youthful exuberance also resulted in several fans getting squeezed into uncomfortably tight quarters at the front of the stage. Demands for the fans to take steps back were repeated throughout the night as several asked security to pull them out of the area.

"You're pushing too much, people are getting hurt up here," Bieber said halfway though the set as security did their best to calm things down.

Generally, the homemade "I Love JB" signs and loud participation did the trick for most, as Bieber jumped into the bouncy, happy-go-lucky Love Me, a song using the chorus from The Cardigans' Lovefool with great effect.

"You guys having a good night?" Bieber asked, knowing the answer well ahead of time.

But it was his non-choreographed efforts that resonated the most when he delivered the ballad-leaning Never Let You Go quite nicely as a supporting musician named Dan helped out on acoustic guitar.

And this was especially true for Favorite Girl that had Bieber seated, strumming an acoustic guitar and belting out the song. It was this simplicity that first garnered the attention on YouTube, with Bieber covering a variety of tunes effortlessly.

Quickly leaving the stage for a breather while his two dancers and DJ entertained, Bieber returned with One Time, another one of his hit singles that falls somewhere between pop and R&B.

Mentioning how his album was coming out Nov. 17, Bieber rounded off his short stint by thanking the crowd, urging them to buy My World and then having the audience help him out with a cover of Chris Brown's With You.

Having recently appeared on Ellen, and with Taylor Swift asking him to open shows in the UK next spring, Bieber's world is about to get a whole lot bigger.


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