Teen singing sensation Justin Bieber had Shaquille O’Neal on hand to up the star power at his sold-out Amway Arena concert Wednesday night.
But he didn’t need him.
Shaq appeared during the encore of the Bieber’s 80-minute set and joined in the rap segment of his smash hit “Baby.”
But the volume of the screaming for Bieber all night long showed that — at least among females of a certain age — his star is just as bright as the basketball legend’s.
Wearing an orange shirt labeled “World’s Greatest Dad,” the former Orlando Magic player shouted “Let’s make some noise! Let’s hear it!” over the chorus of “Baby.”
Shaq’s appearance was tied to his ABC-TV show Shaq VS. Onstage, he didn’t dance so much as do some creative knee bends, shuffles and side steps. But he was visually effective, nearly two 2 feet taller than diminutive Bieber.
During the short appearance, O’Neal lifted Bieber over his head with ease. After being returned to earth, Bieber took a running start and jumped up into O’Neal’s arms as Shaq spun him round and round.
It was an exciting escape from the routine in an entertaining but predictable show, full of typical teen-idol moments — waving hands in the air, serenading a girl on stage, pitting one side of the crowd against the other in a shouting match. Of course, to Bieber’s young fans, a lot of that would be new.
Bieber, 16, surrounded himself with lots of visual stimulation: four backup singers who moved like the Pips, dancers who joined him on routines updated from the Backstreet Boys’ playbook, and shockingly clear, colorful and effective laser beams, swirling over the audience in bright pinks, yellows, greens and reds.
His voice was sometimes swamped by the band and backing singers, especially on rocking numbers such as “One Time” and “Somebody To Love” but most fans were too busy singing along to notice.
And Bieber showed he has some chops in a quiet moment, performing “Favorite Girl,” accompanying himself on guitar.
As for the opening acts, reggaeton rapper Sean Kingston and his protégé Iyaz served up amiable hits such as “Beautiful Girls” and “Replay.”
Backed by a three-man band, Vita Chambers sang hard-edged pop, the highlight of which was a tear through the Lady Gaga/Beyonce hit “Telephone.” Jessica Jarrell performed dance-pop to a backing track, and later returned to duet with Bieber on “Overboard.”
Apparently the show might not have happened at all. Bieber apologized at the end for “not always being fully energized” onstage, saying he didn’t feel well and there had been talk of cancelling the show — “but I said, ‘I can’t do that to my fans.’”
If Bieber was short on energy, the fans — still screaming as the lights came up — more than made up for it.
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