#WorriedAboutJustin

Justin Bieber is all up in our faces again today after showing up late to perform at the O2 last night. Due to come on at 8:30 and actually coming on at 10:30 made a load of little kids cry and kept them up way past their bedtimes, which made a load of parents very mad indeed. He’s like Wee Willie Winkie, but obviously with way more #swag and much more bitchin’ high top trainers.

Justin has been in London for the last few days and has seldom been out of the papers with his partying and late night ways. Recently celebrating his 19th birthday, he tweeted at the end of the night that it had been the ‘worst birthday’ ever. Oh Biebs! Why? Well, it seems Justin’s pal Jaden Smith was not able to get into the party, held at a London nightclub. The bouncers wouldn’t let him in.

Dude, we’ve all been there. You shine up your gold chain, dust off your all white suit and roll out with your homies for a top birthday night out when someone tells you as you slam the taxi door, ‘oh shit, I’ve forgotten my ID’. NICE one.

Now you’re all shivering outside trying to work out whether to go home or go in without your hopeless mate. It sucks, but it happens. However, I should probably point out that Jaden Smith is just 14 years old. I think even that’s pushing things a bit Biebs. No amount of fake ID and begging the doorman is gonna get that little kid past the rope and you might have known.  If Jaden’s coming next year, better hire out Pizza Hut instead.

In the end, they rolled the whole crew (is my young American person talk coming off as authentic by the way?) back to the hotel and just partied there. Meaning, Biebs and Jaden played Fifa and got a takeaway. Again, we’ve all been there.

So here’s a quick Bieber Bio for those who don’t know. Justin Bieber has been extremely famous for years now and it’s been going on since he was just a little boy. While my mum was telling me to ‘be quiet’ because she was ‘on the phone’, Justin's mum was filming him and putting the videos on YouTube. If only my mother had had the same foresight, but sadly my talent lies dormant to this very day. Anyway, I digress. Justin was spotted on YouTube by a man called Scooter and taken to see another man called Usher, who signed him to a record label and some years later, Biebs is arguably (and I’d win the argument) the most famous pop star in the world.

He dated a beautiful Disney princess (called Selena Gomez) for a couple of years before recently breaking up with her after pictures emerged of him standing next to a Victoria Secret model. GASP.

He was a nice kid and seems like a nice guy, but his recent behaviour has caused me concern. He’s gone a bit weird on Twitter, he looks a bit tired behind those shades and he’s hanging around with some ropey looking girls. When 37 million people have pledged to defend you to the death on Twitter, it has a bit of an I Robot vibe don’t you think? You know when they all suddenly go wrong with a red light…?

Biebs, you know what I’m saying man, let’s level with each other. For realz. Take a break, kick off your high tops, put your phone away and start showing up on time for work. You’re no different to anyone else. And no, your 14 year old mate cannot come in, I don’t care who his Dad is. Will Smith? From I Robot? Oh, wow sorry, step this way.

Lookin' Through the Windows: The Jacksons - A Review

The Jacksons. Not the Jackson 5, for obvious reasons (sob). Last night was their much anticipated (by me) reunion show in London. I’ve always been a huge fan of The Jacksons and when it comes to Michael I’m one of those crazy, crying, hysterical fans, so I was pretty excited to go last night but also apprehensive that it would be like watching a load of backing singers, flailing without a lead. Well I needn’t have worried…
The show began with the obligatory warm up. A lady called Denise something or other, who told us afterwards that she’d be hanging around in the foyer, if we wanted to buy her CD. Sorry Denise, your singing was really good, but we’re Jackson fans.  It was a tough crowd and we were there for one reason only.

Additionally, poor Denise was hopelessly scuppered by the appearance of Peter Andre in the audience at the back. Pete tried to sneak in without notice, but word spread round the auditorium that he was there and before long there were camera flashes going off in his face and people scrambling to shake his hand. Oh well, it provided a bit of interest while we waited for the show to begin when finally, at 8:30… the lights went down, the four microphones appeared on stage and suddenly, there they were…

Subtly choreographed and effortlessly slick, it was immediately clear that these guys were old pros. Tito on guitar, looking thinner than you’d except, Jackie the oldest and quietest, yet somehow more charismatic than Jermaine (the usual peoples’ choice) and then Marlon. Super fans will tell you that Marlon used to get the belt from Old Papa Joe Jackson more than any other sibling - apparently for his failure to dance correctly. I watched very carefully to see if he screwed anything up and can tell you that I think Joe was a being a little bit harsh.

The set list was a fabulous mixture of 25 tracks: Old favourites like ABC, I Want You Back, Blame it on the Boogie and Never Can Say Goodbye combined with lesser known songs from their enormous back catalogue of albums such as Push Me Away and Man of War.


Sharing the singing was Jermaine, who took most of the high stuff, Marlon who gave it his best shot (bless him - WHACK) and Jackie, whose smooth tone is clearly made for back up but nevertheless, did a pretty good job. Marlon interspersed the singing with little speaking interludes, telling us his memories from The Ed Sullivan Show, or occasionally busting out a 'Michael Jackson spin' which looked about 0.1% as good as Michael, but maybe was one of those things that was probably Marlon’s idea to begin with and Michael probably pinched it, like brothers tend to do with your stuff.

What was especially nice to see, was how much the brothers obviously enjoyed doing the show. I guess 50 years of singing back up for your electrified, super talented brother and then finally taking centre stage, was bittersweet.

Of course, it was unavoidable that Michael Jackson would feature heavily in the show. But it was done not with mawkishness, but with ownership. The space left by Michael was filled with tributes, images, glittery costumes and songs and the concert was not only a beautiful memorial to a clearly much loved relative, but a spectacular showcase of the group’s collective talent.

Jermaine sang Gone too Soon, to a background of Motown clips, stills and later photos of Michael looking unfortunately, progressively more drowsy. The obligatory kiss to the sky and subsequent applause, that lasted just that little bit longer than usual, was heartfelt, not indulgent. This was and is a real family.

The musicians forming the band were introduced towards the end, where they each took their turn to show off. Needless to say, these guys were the very best of the best. From guitars, to drums, to percussion to keyboards, not only did they sparkle but they made the Jacksons shimmer against a back drop of jaw-dropping musical ability.

The two hour show ended with Michael’s hits Wanna Be Starting Something and Don’t Stop Til you Get Enough. The audience, who’d been on their feet for most of the show, were enraptured. The Jackson’s had them in the palm of their hand, which was a situation they were more than familiar with.

I’m glad I saw them live for the first, and what I suspect will be the last, time (Jackie is 61 years old, not that you could tell) and I can certainly see why they’ve stuck around for so long. In a boring era of transient, vapid and disappointing pop music, where a fast buck is more important than a developed talent, The Jacksons are real life singing relics from a time when music was really music. Ten out of ten from me and if you’re in Germany or Australia where the tour is rolling onto, I’d recommend catching this special moment in music before it’s over.