Something strange happened in the sky.

This was the moment when Justin Bieber was revealed to be human

Just before he arrives in Israel, we went to the capital of Finland to see if the illness that caused the pop star to cancel 14 shows affected his abilities on stage.

We are happy to report that there is no trace left of the facial paralysis that attacked Justin Bieber, and even the opposite

Amit salons, Helsinki

10/08/2022

Wednesday, August 10, 2022, 08:21 Updated: 08:36

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Justin Bieber in concert in Finland (PR)

Keiza Wallhand was born in Sweden in 1771, but became a legend in 1810 when she moved to Finland, and established the country's first restaurant in the city of Helsinki.

Today she is considered one of the founding mothers of modern Finland, and one of the favorite figures in the country's history, especially among young women.

About 20,000 such young Finns arrived last night at the beautiful park named after her - Keizhanimi Park - to watch a live performance by Justin Bieber.

It is not by chance that it is called a

performance .

There are few places where we feel more alive than when (live) music is playing in the background, and talented people perform their best work for us.

The truth is, it's beyond that.

When I raised my head towards the big stage in the park, I not only saw Justin Bieber, who just recently canceled 14 shows due to a rare disease - alive than ever - but I also saw life beside me.

Life around me was all full of life.

The smell in the air was alive, human in every way - the smell of damp human flesh.

the smell of passion.

True, there were mostly young women there, but the men they were with had just as much fun.

Boys and girls together, it's beautiful that - sometimes there is courage to mix.

It wouldn't have happened without music in the background.

It happens with jazz, it happens with blues, it happens with rock - and believe it or not, it also happens with good simple pop.

When Justin Bieber took the stage, precisely at nine o'clock in the evening, the Helsinki sky was still perfectly clear.

He was wearing a pink tank top and pink pants and sunglasses.

It wasn't for style reasons, he just had sunshine in his eyes.

After two songs, when he took off his glasses, we saw that it was possible to relax: there was no trace of the Ramsay-Hunt syndrome that led to paralysis on the right side of his face.

It is impossible not to be impressed by it even in the minimalist version.

Justin Bieber in concert in Finland (photo: Walla! system, Amit Salonim)

Bieber, who until that moment seemed larger than life itself, suddenly looked like a little boy.

He raised his eyes to the heights and got excited along with his female fans.

It was an unscripted moment.

Suddenly he wasn't the big star he had become but the 13-year-old looking for viewers on YouTube

Bieber arrived in Helsinki with a smaller show than expected.

The stage was relatively small, the screens were modest - and despite a large dance group behind it, it was not up to the standard of big pop acts.

The good news: this is absolutely not the show that is about to arrive in Israel in October, which should include a huge stage and a rather disturbing visual spectacle, including a plane that emerges onto the stage.

Finns can only be jealous.

But even in the minimalist version that the Finnish audience received it is hard not to be impressed by the current version of Justin Bieber as a polished pop star.

Sometimes it seems as if everything comes too easily to him.

How can you sing and dance like that at the same time?

Is it possible that someone can be too cold on stage?

I was waiting for some forgery, some improvisation, something that would evoke some human identification - but it didn't come.

His confidence makes him almost robotic.

This is manifested mainly in the moments between the songs, in which he introduces all kinds of positive sermons for equality and against racism, but everything is scripted and known in advance.

If he hadn't put in some "How are you Helsinki?"

Trite, you could be mistaken and think that he doesn't even know what country he is in today.

He already gave the same "inspiring" speech at all the performances on the tour, and it would have been nice if he had inserted some personal angle, certainly after he revealed to the whole world a serious illness and had time to recover from it.

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The smell of life in the air.

Fans at Justin Bieber's concert in Finland (Photo: Walla! system, Amit Salonim)

And then something happened.

For a moment the sky flashed and a wind as cold as frost, which made its way all the way from neighboring Russia, blew around the tens of thousands of Finnish fans.

It didn't bother anyone, certainly not the star on stage who seemed like nothing could take him out of his element.

But with the pleasant wind, a large flock of geese suddenly emerged into the night sky (which is clear, as I recall).

It's hard to watch a spectacular flock of geese and chicken in perfect harmonic synchronization over a Nordic country and not think of Nils Holgersson.

The connotation is too clear.

Suddenly the tens of thousands stopped and enthusiastically applauded Molly and the wild geese.

It was strange and lovely.

Bieber, who until that moment seemed larger than life itself, suddenly looked like a little boy.

He raised his eyes to the heights and got excited along with his female fans.

It was an unscripted moment.

Suddenly he wasn't the big star he had become but the 13-year-old looking for viewers on YouTube.

How human he seemed suddenly.

Bieber joked with the crowd, explaining that they were Canadian geese making their way back home.

"I think it's a sign," he said, to applause from the crowd.

The hint was clear.

A reminder of the long way Bieber took, geographically and especially mentally, to bring his music all over the world at a time when nothing is easy to plan.

Bieber went on a rather ambitious concert tour, certainly at a time when the corona virus is still dictating the reality in some parts of the world.

Soon he will continue his huge tour in South America, then he will come to our neighborhood - including another and not obvious visit to Yarakon Park.

It is common to make fun of the fact that singers come to Israel only after they have finished their careers, and here one of the most successful singers in the world is coming to us for the third time and he is only 28 years old.

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The body moves involuntarily.

Justin Bieber in concert in Finland (photo: Walla! system, Amit Salonim)

It's not "teen pop" and it's not "dance pop".

It's music.

Live music.

Music that will always be the real thing, while all the other tribulations of the universe - the wars, the cost of living, death - are only a reflection of the shadow of musical purity

It's easy to dismiss Justin Bieber's music, it's the curse of every child star who grew up with his audience.

From Molly from "Close Relatives" who became Molly from "Eretz Fahadrah", through "You won't believe how the child looks today" who became Eliad to Billie Eilish.

Some people peaked early, only to discover more creative peaks after that peak.

Justin Bieber was already the biggest star when he was 13 years old, this only makes his focus on music today much more natural (on his part) and much less appreciated (on the critics' side).

With something like a quarter of a billion dollars in the bank, Bieber doesn't really have to prove anything to anyone, but something still drives him - the desire to be the greatest.

The desire to be a great singer, and not just a "youth idol".

A sequence of Michael Jackson songs played in the background before he went on stage perhaps hinted at the (musical, not moral) standard that Bieber set for himself.

The distance from MJ is still far, but you can always dream.

Among the 24 songs that filled almost two hours of the show, there were several moments of surprisingly beautiful music.

It's not just "Sorry" that makes the human body move involuntarily.

Taste and smell can and should be debated, but when Justin sits on a chair at the end of the catwalk and gives a perfect acoustic performance of "Love Yourself" you have to be especially cynical not to get excited.

When he goes up for the encore and sits down at the grand piano, and performs a fun ten-minute jam session with the band (surprisingly rough), the simple sounds fit like hammers.

It's not "teen pop" and it's not "dance pop".

It's music.

Live music.

Music that will always be the real thing, while all the other tribulations of the universe - the wars, the cost of living, death - are just a reflection of the shadow of musical purity.

what a pleasure

The jam goes deep into the fun "Peaches", which suddenly gains a gospel-style intro.

The peaches from Georgia and the marijuana from California become part of the divine plan of Justin, who saw the "light" in his source.

It's so beautiful and so packed up at the same time.

One can only hope that someone in Bieber's production will explain to him before the performance in Israel that it is a little less relevant to give a lecture about Jesus in the middle of the show.

Beyond that, he seems to be fully prepared for his third visit to the Holy Land.

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Little Andrei drew.

Ukrainian refugee at Justin Bieber's concert in Finland (photo: Walla! system, Amit Salonim)

in the small

Befitting a visit to Helsinki, I remembered one of the stories of "The Moomin" written by the genius Finnish writer Tova Jansen.

In the story, Momintroll's mother makes a wish that her son will stop missing his best friend, who has gone on a long journey.

Her wish comes true - and the hero's burning sense of longing is replaced by an optimistic expectation that eases his soul.

I was reminded of this story when I saw a Ukrainian refugee couple in the front row of a concert, a few meters away from Justin Bieber.

Throughout the performance, the young woman held a small page with a drawing of the flags of the United States and Ukraine on it.

Above the US flag was a drawing of a tank, above the Ukrainian flag it said "Save". Between the flags was drawn a big red heart. The modest sign was made by 6-year-old Andrei, the couple's son, and next to it was written "Justin, this is for you." Bieber (the Canadian in general) can't get the US military to enter Ukraine, but that doesn't matter at all.

The smile on the face of the Ukrainian mother could not be removed throughout the show.

The longing for the homeland was momentarily replaced by the anticipation of the future.

Yes, music has such power, even in the darkest places of humanity.

For two hours, little Andrei's mother won a piece of pure pan.

What a wonderful thing music is, have we already said?

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