Inside Justin Bieber's First Live Concert In Three Years

Justin Bieber hasn't been seen in concert since he bailed on his Purpose World Tour in 2017. After being on the road for 18 months and right before he was set to start another round of dates, the singer announced that the leg had been canceled due to "unforeseen circumstances," according to Reuters. Bieber's manager has since confirmed that Bieber needed a break to rejuvenate, and that's why the remainder of the Purpose tour dates got canceled, per Refinery29.

For those who don't know, Bieber's Purpose Tour was supposed to be a comeback following his 2012 Believe Tour. Between his Believe Tour, which ended in 2013, and the Purpose Tour, which kicked off in 2016, Bieber encountered a landslide of setbacks, including a DUI, a misdemeanor charge for egging his neighbor's house, and an assault charge in his home country of Canada.

Bieber took a much-needed break after these legal incidents, admitting to Vanity Fair in 2017 that he used his downtime to grow as a person. Then he dropped Purpose, which featured the catchy bop titled "Sorry," and went on his suddenly shortened world tour to promote the music. Now, Bieber is back and ready to perform again with a special New Year's Eve concert to ring in 2021. Let's take a look inside Justin Bieber's first live concert in three years.

Justin Bieber's May 2020 concert got postponed

Justin Bieber was supposed to be on tour in 2020 to promote his January album Changes — his first full-length project since 2016's Purpose. He was excitedly posting rehearsal footage on his Instagram page as he waited for the tour to kick off in May. Unfortunately, the tour got postponed until 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Bieber hasn't let the pandemic stop his "career comeback," though. While in isolation, he released several singles like "Holy" in September, "Lonely" in October, and his Shawn Mendes collaboration "Monster" in November. Although not in a concert format, Bieber got to perform at the 2020 People's Choice Awards, American Music Awards, and the Country Music Awards with Dan + Shay. 

On Dec. 7, 2020, the Grammy award-winning artist announced yet another performance in the form of a concert special called "T-Mobile Presents New Year's Eve Live With Justin Bieber," per Billboard. "I've worked with T-Mobile for a long time — they're such a fun brand, and we're working on more surprises to watch out for during this special night," Bieber shared in a statement. "I can't wait to partner on this epic New Year's Eve concert with them, and give everyone a safe way to kick 2020 out the door, together."  

Since the news, Bieber has been focused on preparing for his comeback concert. Keep scrolling to learn how Bieber is preparing for the monumental show.

Justin Bieber has been hard at work

Justin Bieber has been busy sharing behind-the-scenes footage of his concert rehearsal to his Instagram page, proving that he's excited about this next chapter. As a trusted source told Entertainment Tonight, Bieber has been working "tirelessly" on the show for more than three weeks.

"Performing on stage is his absolute favorite thing to do, and he is super excited to get back on stage for a real show — his first [concert] in almost four years," the source told the outlet. The insider also spilled some details about what viewers can expect of the concert. "The setlist is, of course, very thorough, touching on current hits like 'Holy' and 'Lonely,' tracks from his Grammy-nominated 2020 album, Changes, like 'Intentions' and fan-favorite 'Habitual,' smash hits from his 10x platinum album, Purpose, like 'What Do U Mean,' 'Sorry,' 'Love Yourself,' and some surprises, too," they teased.

Although the concert's location is secret, a source claimed it will take place at an "iconic" venue. Beliebers can tune into the show on New Year's Eve for free if they have a phone plan with T-mobile, or they can buy tickets for $25.