So you’re taking your daughter and her friends to see Justin Bieber’s concert Saturday night at Oracle Arena in Oakland. You’re going to the show, so you might as well enjoy yourself, right? The first step to doing so is getting to know the 16-year-old pop star. With that in mind, we present our “Parent’s Guide to Justin Bieber.” Here are a half-dozen things you need to know to properly enjoy the concert:
1. He’s not a 12-year-old girl. He’s actually a 16-year-old male. Any confusion, however, is understandable, given Bieber’s light, high falsetto singing voice, which often resembles that of a soprano.
2. Bieber performs radio-friendly pop tunes, colored in light shades of R&B.
3. Stay in your seats. Bieber fever can result in some overly excited crowds. Back in April, for instance, eight fans were hospitalized after being crushed as an unruly audience gathered to see the teen star sing at a TV taping in Australia. Police later canceled the performance for safety reasons.
4. He’s not a Disney act. Unlike Hannah Montana (aka Miley Cyrus), Jonas Brothers and other tween stars, Bieber didn’t ride Mickey Mouse to fame and fortune. He made his mark initially through YouTube videos.
5. Bieber is more than just a pretty voice. He also knows how to play piano, drums, guitar and trumpet.
6. The crowd will go crazy when Bieber plays the singles “One Time,” “One Less Lonely Girl” and “Baby.” Oh, who are we kidding? The crowd will go nuts no matter what he plays.
Read Jim Harrington’s Concert Blog at http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/category/concerts/.
