Until recently, major acts would naturally aim to book the much larger Capital One Arena in the much larger DC metro area. The RoFo Arena, it’s nickname and Twitter handle, will be back and potentially usher in a new era of arenas that serve as ultimate Live performance spaces instead of the traditional arena model of relying on anchor sports teams as tenants. Richmond’s arena is still technically standing, but it is fenced off, awaiting demolition, similar to RFK Stadium. 2018 after the Harlem Globetrotters played there. Baltimore will not be placed in the same category as Richmond, VA which saw its primary arena, the Richmond Coliseum (opened in 1972), shuttered since Dec. The renovation ensures that the historic arena, opened in 1962, one-time home to too many teams to count and concerts going back to The Beatles, will not be shuttered permanently. Thanks to a $150M renovation by Thirty Five Ventures, an affiliate of the Oak View Group (OVG) that includes Kevin Durant as one its investors, the arena will close following this February’s CIAA basketball tournament and re-open in time for the same event a year later. “I want a ticket to anywhere / Maybe we make a deal / Maybe together we can get somewhere / Anyplace is better,” Bieber sang.Baltimore’s historic arena will close, but only for one year. The night’s most telling moment came right before “Love Yourself,” when Bieber - seated on a plush loveseat with an acoustic guitar - performed Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car.” In the midst of the show, it felt like a genuine surprise, but now, it seems like a cry for help from an artist uninterested in performing, night in and night out. Activism is no requirement of an artist, but the sartorial choice felt crass without comment. For an artist who openly appreciates - and arguably appropriates for profit and credibility - hip-hop, it felt gross that Bieber had no words about Freddie Gray or Alton Sterling or Philando Castile. Worse was Bieber’s costume change into a kilt and Notorious B.I.G. His DJ and Baltimore native Tay James did his best to provide the banter Bieber didn’t. Bieber mentioned the city once by name, and only in passing (“Come on, Baltimore,” he said as his prerecorded vocals played over the speakers). The sloping set design, impressive light show and acrobatic dancers did their best to deflect the obvious, but Bieber and his apathetic pout were impossible to ignore. The songs – and their flashy, of-the-moment production – did most of the heavy lifting, but Bieber’s lack of effort still felt egregious. Yet the cheers still rained from the rafters, from the opening notes of “Mark My Words” to the finale “Sorry.” He cannot dance with the fluidity of his former swag coach Usher, and his strained singing would not turn any chairs on “The Voice.” Even the dramatic drum solo, with the kit emerging from the floor, fell flat because Bieber’s level of playing can be seen at instrument shops around the world at any given moment. This is the conundrum that is Justin Bieber in concert: He is simply not an exceptional performer. Bieber enthralled them, evoking shrieks for even his most rigid, uninspired dancing and sloppy guitar playing. The audience was mainly women, evidenced by the men’s second-floor bathrooms being redesignated female. It played well to the crowd, which filled the arena with screams that nearly drowned the Ontario-born singer out. For roughly 90 minutes, Bieber - oscillating between looks of boredom and stoicism - performed a set that leaned heavily on November’s “Purpose,” a trendy and well-produced pivot toward accessible electronic dance music and woozy, rap-influenced R&B. One thing was clear, though, Thursday night at Royal Farms Arena: It’s not performing.Īt least it’s not performing with the vigor and engagement required of an arena headliner. The pop megastar is only 22, so he has time to figure it out. Baltimore Sun eNewspaper Home Page Close Menu
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