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Justin Bieber Wants To Talk To Fans At His ‘Purpose’ Shows, But Will They Listen?

By Page Mackinley
Published on: 13:17 PST, Oct 10, 2016

Justin Bieber wants to talk to his fans — and be heard, at his Purpose World Tour shows.

The pop superstar shared his possibly impossible hope for real moments with concert-goers during his first show in Arnhem, the Netherlands over the weekend.

In fan-obtained video footage shared online, Bieber is seen good-naturedly explaining the change he’d like to see. The 22-year-old spoke of wanting a “one-on-one connection” with fans and to “create a different environment.”

Put simpler: He would appreciate fans dialing down their typical ear-splitting screams when he’s trying to talk to them in between songs at his shows.

To be clear, the Grammy winner is not saying fans shouldn’t scream their heads off when he is performing. The singer himself said he would likely have done the same at a Michael Jackson concert “if he was alive.”

During his talk, Bieber demonstrated some of the benefits of being relatively quieter in shows, by singling out one fan near the front and having a brief conversation.

“Now, you guys right here. You guys are two feet away, right,” He asked, before pointing out a group of fans in the crowd. “I can hear, I hear you,” the singer said, as some of the audience began screaming.

“I mean, we’re close enough to have a conversation, right?” Justin continued. “So, say I wanted to talk to you, right, without a mic?” he said, moving his microphone away from his mouth and holding it by his side.

The Canadian then chatted with a fan in the audience, asking them, “How’s your day been?”

Watch the moment in the video below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjdvKsjgIZM

With his point about a more intimate interaction made Bieber told fans “Sometimes people think that there’s this huge barrier, that there’s this line right here, and you need to scream to get past this line.”

“But really, we’re only like two feet away,” the heartthrob added. Focusing on a concert-goer, he said, “If I wanted to talk to you right here the only way I’d be able talk to you is if the crowd’s silent.”

Bieber continued, “If you spend so much time yelling, right, there’s no possibility for interaction — absolutely no possibility. Now, if you guys are silent during breaks and silent during times like this, it’s going to be easier for say a one-on-one connection to possibly happen.”

“And, it makes it more fun for me too,” Bieber shared. “Because then I get to have those moments rather than look at someone and realize that, ‘Wait. They’re not even really willing to have a one-on-one connection right now cause they’re too busy screaming.'”

After noting he would fanboy over MJ if the King of Pop were alive, the Biebs said he understood that fans scream at shows because they are excited.

But, he also insisted he just wants to “create a different environment” and a “building where there can be silence where there can be laughter.”

He wrapped up by asking the crowd, “Are you with me on that?” To which, many cheered.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UY-Y5Ub6UjU

Based on Bieber’s onstage speeches to fans throughout his ongoing “Purpose Tour,” many of which can be seen on YouTube, it’s clear — or it should be — that he genuinely wants to share things that he feels are important to him and his fans.

For those unfamiliar with the Purpose Tour, the Biebs reaches out to fans at every concert. When he is onstage, he thanks fans and tells them he is grateful for their support when he muses reflectively before performing the aptly named “Life Is Worth Living,” the title track of his latest Purpose album, and sometimes, “Children.”

In the video above, he told fans in Arnhem, “You guys inspire me so much,” before adding, “you guys genuinely make me happy. Honestly, all of you, all of you.”

The mostly misunderstood singer went on to say, “The whole mission for this tour is to let people know that they have a purpose” and that “you have to fight for it,” because “most of the time it’s not handed to you.”

During a particularly emotional introduction before singing “Purpose” at his show in Copenhagen last week (see video above), Bieber told the audience “I want do this [perform] for the rest of my life.”

“I want to be able to sustain. I want to be able to make a difference you know,” he continued, “I hope this isn’t just a show, cause when I’m up here I’m being as real as I can possibly be.”

He later said, “I’d rather be up here and not smile once than to up her faking a smile. I’ll never fake a smile for you. I want to be someone who’s real and authentic.”

Some might wonder at Bieber’s onstage statements about wanting a deeper connection with fans because of his decisions earlier this year to stop taking snaps with fans in impromptu settings. He also cancelled tour meet-and-greets. However, it is important to note that the singer shared serious reasons in each case.

Back in March, the Biebs revealed meet-and-greets left him mentally and emotionally exhausted to the point of depression. TMZ also reported a security scare was part of his pull-back.

In May, Bieber announced he would no longer take selfies with fans following numerous fan encounters which amounted to harassment. At the time, he said he felt like a “zoo animal.” Last year, he revealed he suffers from depression and anxiety.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=kvjiYAxII-4

Since then, although Bieber now rarely takes snaps with fans, he continues to stop and talk to them when he is out and about, albeit to a lesser extent. Despite a few awkward fan interactions which mainstream media tends to orgy over — on balance, the pop star’s years-long relationship with Beliebers is a positive one.

Notably, Bieber continues to meet children and teenagers through the Make-A-Wish foundation, as he has done since the start of his career.

While mainstream media evidently chases clickbait value in a negative Bieber narrative and either disputes or ignores his mental health issues, it’s likely nobody would deny Beliebers have a well-established reputation for screaming, stalking, obsessive behavior off and online, and other problematic qualities.

Indeed, Bieber should actually be commended for trying to communicate meaningfully with his fans, given the mayhem they often cause (see videos below), and the abuse many hurled his way on Instagram over his then-gal pal, Sofia Richie, before his former girlfriend Selena Gomez redefined unnecessary.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XK6OwESDAuk&feature=youtu.be

[Featured Image by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images]

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