We all know how it gets at concerts – screaming fans, stuff flying through the air, probably a few accidents – but usually, the performing act ignores it or even plays along with the fans; after all, they did pay a lot of money to watch them perform, and they’re not trying to mess anything up, they’re just having fun (granted, though, sometimes that fun gets out of hand). Justin Bieber, however, actually walked out of his own concert because fans were throwing water on stage.
In this video from Bieber’s October 29th concert in Oslo, Norway, the singer is seen trying to clean up a puddle on the stage while the fans in the front continue to pour water on it. Granted, Bieber did have a right to be upset – he had asked the fans to stop so that he could clean it up, and they blatantly ignored him. What he didn’t have a right to do, in this writer’s opinion, is to completely leave the concert. First, that’s largely unprofessional. Many artists have gotten frustrated on stage, yet they know that they can’t just go off stage and leave the concert because they have a responsibility to perform (except in cases of illness or necessary time off). People paid to see the show, and they had a right to see the whole performance, not just what happened before Bieber decided to storm off stage.
Secondly, think about the fans. For some, that was the first and only time they’d ever see their idol. I know that an artist has to consider their own well-being over performing – I’m an avid supporter of that idea in my own fandom – but this wasn’t about Bieber’s well-being, but simply about him being irritated. He allowed a few fans to ruin the experience for thousands of others, and that’s not fair to those who did nothing wrong.
Later of course, in the way that PR clean ups go, Bieber apologized, saying “it’s been a ‘rough week’.” If Bieber wants to continue to have a fan base, though, he’s got to learn how to either leave the personal issues behind when he goes on stage or manage them in a less hostile way.