It’s been a busy few days for Justin Bieber. He dropped the video for his single “Ghost”, starring all-around icon Diane Keaton, causing much media and Instagram buzz. He released his Amazon Prime documentary, Justin Bieber: Our World, and added an additional three songs to his already iconic Justice album. And then he threw a weekend-long party in Las Vegas, which we were lucky enough to be invited to.
Justin Bieber & Friends, The Vegas Weekender, took over the Strip from Thursday to Saturday, with event curators Pollen providing fans with three whole days of Bieber fever-inducing events. Kicking off at the Wynn’s Encore Beach Club, attendees were treated to an early screening of the aforementioned Justin Bieber: Our World, with performance scenes provoking screams all around and Biebs’ sweet moments with wife Hailey reducing some of us to tears. OK, maybe that was only us…
Post-screening, an opening night event with Kehlani had us dancing at XS all the way to 4am, while Friday’s pool party took us back to Encore Beach Club for an epic performance by Wonderland cover star The Kid LAROI. Singles “Without You” and “Stay” had the crowd going wild and, while Biebs didn’t pop out to duet on “Stay”, there was a surprise performance by Jaden Smith who might be the only person we’ve ever seen wear a puffa jacket to a Vegas pool party.
Come Saturday, the vibes were immaculate for a Justin-themed skate park pop-up at AREA15, Vegas’s trippy new immersive venue that also hosts experiences like Meow Wolf’s Omega Mart and burlesque-inspired dance show Rated Red. With a local skate competition heating up the halfpipe, Bieber protégé Eddie Benjamin took to the stage (backed by signage reading “Who the f**k is Eddie Benjamin?”), for his first-ever live show.
By nightfall, the Drew House hoodies were off as everyone geared up for the main event at XS, with the arrival of Hailey Bieber in a Schiaparelli blazer dress with giant shoulder pads causing quite the stir. Taking to the stage at 1am, Mr Biebs looked almost as chic in his pink beanie hat, kicking off his hour-long set with Justice track “Somebody” to the delight of the crowd.
Massive hits “Hold On”, “Where Are Ü Now” and “Yummy” followed, as well as “Ghost”, “Peaches” and “Essence”, his track with WizKid and Tems, which Biebs named one of his favourites when chatting with the crowd between songs. The hit-packed set wrapped up with “Anyone”, before Biebs exited the stage to rapturous applause, more screams and pyrotechnics.
Rounding out the weekend, Marshmello kept the crowd on a high until well into Sunday morning, before the event ended as if it was all a Bieber fever dream. Until next time, Vegas!
Justin Bieber & Friends, The Vegas Weekender was organised by Pollen Presents, a team that curates experiences to bring fans together with their favourite artists, sports stars, wellness figures and more, in destinations around the globe. Upcoming events include Kygo in Cabo, Mexico, and J Balvin NEON in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Check out their website pollen.co for more info.
