“I’ve got a lot of surprises for you tonight,” Justin Bieber promised fans at the start of his sold-out, first-ever headlining concert at Madison Square Garden (Aug. 31)– and he wasn’t kidding. Everyone from Miley Cyrus, Sean Kingston and Jaden Smith to Boyz II Men, Usher and Ludacris joined the 16-year-old pop phenom onstage for a show frantically paced and carefully calibrated to hold the attention of his tween army.
The surplus of guest appearances was no coincidence. Bieber’s MSG show was being taped for his upcoming 3-D biopic (“Everyone in this audience is gonna be in my movie!” he told the crowd), and the singer appropriately pulled out all the stops for the cameras. After kicking off his under two-hour set with the Cardigans-inspired “Love Me” — from his debut album “My World,” released less than one year ago — Bieber introduced Boyz II Men to assist him on new single “U Smile,” which this week marks his highest debut to date on Billboard’s Pop Songs chart (No. 33). Bieber then returned the favor by introducing a new generation to Boyz II Men’s hit ballad “On Bended Knee,” singing it with the group a cappella. “These people are the ones who made me want to start singing,” he explained, dedicating the song to his mother.
Until next time keep rockin’
The 0800 Jukebox crew.