It is official – Justin Bieber is coming to Dubai next year.
After a week of rumours and uncertainty, concert promoters 117Live confirmed they will bring the 22-year-old Canadian pop star to Dubai’s Autism Rock Arena on May 6.
Fans can preregister now for tickets at www.117live.com, and the date they will go on sale will be announced soon. Travel and hotel packages will also be announced this week.
The announcement comes after the concert date was posted on Bieber’s website on December 6, but then removed a few hours later.
117Live chief executive Thomas Ovesen promises a “huge” concert for Bieber fans.
“There are few artists that have such a strong and dedicated fan base and who can claim to also have the talent to warrant the dedicated following,” he says.
“Justin Bieber is not only returning to Dubai but bringing a new attitude and a super and fantastic show, including water features and other craziness.”
The “new attitude” Ovesen mentions is perhaps in response to the backlash Bieber received after his debut UAE appearance in 2012, when he performed at two sell-out concerts at Dubai’s Sevens Stadium, on May 4 and 5.
Bieber arrived on stage two hours late for both shows, prompting outrage from parents. The singer also amassed half a dozen speeding fines during his brief stay in the city.
Ovesen says his UAE visit will be shorter this time, as Bieber will only perform one show “regardless of how fast tickets are selling”.
“So I am not kidding when I suggest that registering now for pre-sale access is a must for anyone wanting to attend the only Middle East show,” he says.
Bieber’s latest jaunt is in support of his fourth album, the critically acclaimed Purpose, on which he shed his teen-pop image to take on more adventurous electronic sounds, courtesy of producers Diplo and Skrillex.
Ovesen recently travelled to London to check out Bieber’s performance at the O2 Arena on November 28.
“The show is amazing,” he says. “It is like a Cirque De Soleil meets a pop star show.”