Justin Bieber, a Canadian pop singer, performed a jam-packed concert at Saudi Corniche Circuit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia this weekend.
The Canadian singer received a massive reception from fans in Saudi Arabia. His wife Hailey Barber shared the videos of his pumped-up, energetic performances in the concert. One Saudi fan sharing his video on social media said, “It’s a dream come true I’m the happiest person alive.”
The show was planned alongside the F1 Grand Pix in Saudi Arabia. The singer thrilled the audience with his red jersey and athletic pans. The singer might have received a humongous welcome in Saudi Arabia. The singer performed some of his popular songs in the concert while fans danced to the beats.
For the ones who missed the concert or want to recapture the magic of the night, here’s a thread of Justin Bieber’s performances in Saudi Arabia
— Mira (@OneLifeFeeling) December 5, 2021
https://twitter.com/justin_trivia/status/1467551347033587712?s=20
Thank you to @LewisHamilton for raising awareness on Saudi government's abuses & rejecting complicity in whitewashing while others, including Formula 1 (@F1) & performers at their events, like @justinbieber, remain silent. https://t.co/aEkvkc6j1Y
— Human Rights Watch (@hrw) December 3, 2021
Justin Bieber faces backlash
He, however, faced backlash outside Saudi Arabia despite calls to call of the concert. Human rights activists and organizations had requested Justin Bieber to call off the concern in a strong protest to the crackdown on Saudi human rights activists by the Saudi government.
Read more: Pitbull concert in Riyadh receives global online backlash
Human Rights Organizations had appealed to the international celebrities not to perform in Saudi Arabia in a show of solidarity to the Saudi activists who are being allegedly sanctioned by the government for speaking up.
Bieber has not yet commented on the public pressure surrounding his concert in Saudi Arabia.
The fiancé of a slain journalist also joined the call. Hatice Cengiz penned down an article for the Washington Post in which she asked Bieber to cancel his show to “send a powerful message to the world that your name and talent will not be used to restore the reputation of a regime that kills its critics.”
Similarly, the concert of Pitbull in Riyadh received massive online backlash globally. The viral video showed a large number of spectators are enjoying and dancing along with the singer Pitbull in the vast field spread over 5.4 million square meters. The crowd cheered as the performance of the singer ended.
Read more: Saudi Arabia to host first film festival ever
The video has been receiving flak from people all over social media. A debate ensued if Saudi Arabia is moving toward evolution and westernization. Saudi Arabia is the land of Islam, from where the religion propagated is swiftly moving towards secularism and liberalization. Users said that it is inappropriate for the country that holds the two holiest sites of Islam to arrange a musical concert on its land.