From the punch to the playback: 10 moments from Bieber in Barcelona

In case you hadn’t heard, Justin Bieber sang in Barcelona last week. The two-hour show in a crowded Palau Sant Jordi – the most important Catalan concert hall – was the start of his Purpose World Tour in Spain. Not surprisingly, there were many moments worth highlighting.

1. The Belieber camp. When you are a mass idol people make strange sacrifices to see you. If you are a Justin Bieber fan, you might decide to get in line to see him at least one week before the gig. Otherwise, you will have to jump the line if you yearn for him to sing Baby, baby, baby to you in close proximity. In fact, a large group of beliebers in Barcelona decided to sleep at the concert doors from August onward. Luckily, they were able to organize themselves into shifts so they could go and get a shower once in a while.

2. A good soccer player? Or maybe F. C. Barcelona has bad goalkeepers. The singer went to Barça’s training ground to catch up with his friend Neymar and played a little keepie-up. Their selfies soon spread via Twitter.

Justin Bieber visits FC Barcelona training session por fcbarcelona

3. The punch. The most controversial moment. Belieber Kevin Ramírez wanted to touch his idol. He managed to do it but he was punched in the face by Justin in return. There are different opinions, but some people think the youngster – who already had thousands of followers on Instagram – is now taking advantage of the situation to appear in the media. He says the case is in his attorney’s hands, and claims he is really disappointed with the artist. Meanwhile, the jokes on Twitter came thick and fast...

4. Light and color. When you go to an international superstar’s concert, you expect to hear good music, but also a great performance. Justin Bieber did it: elastic beds, lights, fire, thunder, really complex choreography and the popular Sorry under unexpected rain. The singer even appeared in a mysterious transparent cage singing Mark my words.

5. Playback without covering it up. Justin Bieber’s fans do not mind if he does not sing on stage – maybe because he doesn’t try to hide it. Songs such as No pressure were pre-recorded. The singer even put the microphone on the floor to dance at the same time his voice was audible.

6. Emotional moment. Bieber is not particularly close to his fans. However, in Barcelona they were able to ask him some questions. He said that 10 years from now he wants to be a leader. Fans were left euphoric by his answers.

7. The (strange) changing outfit. Bieber was dressed like a guy of his age, not a pop star. Lumberjack shirts and most importantly a gray tracksuit with an orange sweatshirt. Why not?

8. Open shirt.  The soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo is not the only person who loves showing off his body. Justin Bieber also had his “exhibitionist” moment in Barcelona’s concert. Yes, Love yourself!

9. Sorry. Bieber singing this successful single was for sure one of the most-awaited moments. This is the kind of song that gets trapped in your head whenever you hear it. Predictably Beliebers screamed loudly, so it seems he lived up to expectations.

10. The post-concert. The controversy is still alive. Anywhere Justin Bieber goes, people talk about him for days. Social networks are still making cruel jokes.

But who cares what your haters say if you can sell out stadiums?

From November onward, the Catalan edition of EL PAÍS, Elpais.cat, will include a selection of news stories in English.

The texts will be prepared by journalism students at the Pomepeu Fabra University (UPF), who will be adapting content from Catalan current affairs every week, adding extra information and explanation to these stories so that they can be understood in a global context.