Sad news for Justin Bieber fans both in the region and across the world, as the singer has suspended his upcoming Dubai concerts, as well as the entirety of his Justice World Tour, due to his ongoing health issues.
While there has been no statement yet about the two shows, originally set for October 8 and 9, from the Coca-Cola Arena, the venue in which the two concerts were to be held, Bieber has suspended ‘all remaining shows’ from the tour, which undoubtedly means the two Dubai shows will not come to pass.
Bieber has had a public battle with Ramsay-Hunt Syndrome, which left his face partly paralyzed. He explained in the note released on his Instagram Stories that while he has recently completed a number of shows, he has been feeling the toll more than he expected and will not be able to continue.
Read Bieber’s full statement here:
“Earlier this year, I went public about my battle with Ramsay-Hunt Syndrome, where my face was partly paralyzed.
“As the result of this illness, I was not able to complete the North America leg of the Justice Tour.After resting end consulting with doctors, family and team, I went to Europe in an effort to continue with the tour.
“I performed six live shows, but it took a real toll on me. This past weekend I performed at Rock in Rio and I gave everything I have to the people in Brazil. After getting off stage, the exhaustion overtook me and I realized that I needed to make my health a priority right now. So I’m going to take a break from touring for the time being.
“I’m going to be OK, but I need time to rest and get better period I’ve been so proud to bring this show and our message of justice to the world.Thank you for your prayers and support throughout all of this exclamation point i love you all passionately!”
There is no word yet as to how and when refunds will be issued, but we will keep you posted at Esquire Middle East on all developments on the suspended Bieber concerts in Dubai.
The Justice World Tour runs from May 2022 until March 2023.
“Having Justin back for what will be his third visit and fourth performance in the city is so exciting, both for his fans and for me personally. The UAE hasn’t seen shows of this size and scale since pre pandemic and I can guarantee everyone is in for a real treat – the production is world class and there is no doubt Justin is at the very top of his game right now, the ticket sales worldwide speak for themselves! We look forward to welcoming all his Middle East fans this October – this is a hot ticket and we expect to sell out fast, so register for the Visa pre-sale now!’ says Thomas Ovesen, Owner of T.O.P Entertainment, the outfit responsible for bringing the show to Dubai.
Justin Bieber’s recent accolades
Recently, Justin teamed up with director Cole Bennett for his new single +video “Honest,” featuring Don Toliver. Punchy and uptempo, “Honest” marks Justin’s first official single since “Ghost” – the anthemic finale to the multi-platinum, Grammy-nominated Justice – went #1 at pop radio in January, making chart history with the most #1 hits by a male solo artist in US radio history and the only fifth artist ever to reach twenty Top 5 hits on Hot 100.
Over the past year, Justin has set new marks in his highly-decorated career: “Stay” with The Kid LAROI, Justin’s eighth career Hot 100 #1 single, made him the youngest solo artist ever to reach 100 hits on the chart. “Peaches,” his certified-triple-platinum smash, made Justin the first male solo artist to debut at #1 on both the Billboard 200 album chart and Billboard Hot 100 singles chart simultaneously.
Justin Bieber’s eighth #1 album Justice has sold over eight million copies globally, amassed over 12 billion global streams, and was nominated for eight Grammys, including Album Of The Year. With an astounding 100 billion career streams and over 75 million albums sold globally, Justin reigns as one of the biggest artists in the world. Bieber is the #1 artist on YouTube with over 68 million subscribers worldwide and is the #1 artist on Spotify global with 79 million monthly listeners.
Justin – who was named Artist Of The Year at the 2021 MTV VMAs and was nominated for thirteen Billboard Music Awards – has already been pulling huge audiences for the opening leg of his Justice World Tour 2022, the biggest and most ambitious tour of his career.
A key element of the tour has also been generating some social good for the show, according to its promoters.
“Justin has remained committed to using his platform for social good, bringing his ‘Justice In Action’ initiative to fans across the country, raising awareness on important issues like criminal justice reform, climate action, voter registration and much more,” said a statement.
The Justice World Tour, promoted by AEG Presents, is Justin’s first global outing since 2016/2017’s ‘Purpose World Tour’. Described by The Times of London as “mesmerising”, Bieber played to 2.7 million fans over the course of his 2016-2017 run, with the finale seen by 65,000 fans at London’s British Summer Time Hyde Park festival.