Most of the time when we talk about Justin Bieber putting his hands on other people’s music it’s because he’s disrespected a legacy or appropriated something that clearly wasn’t his. But on Friday evening, the Biebs performed some cover songs in a way that was actually kind of… cool?
The mega-popstar was at a local Toronto bar, the Fifth Pubhouse, knocking back a few and watching the Raptors play the Miami Heat. After cheers-ing a gent over a shot of whiskey, the guy pointed out the piano sitting right next to them. Bieber promptly sat down for what has to be his smallest concert ever, performing a quick but intimate seven-minute set.
He delivered his smash “Sorry”, as well as snippets of “Let it Be” by The Beatles, Jerry Lee Lewis’ “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On”, and even a bit of Beethoven’s “Für Elise”. The easily maligned singer sounded pretty good for most of it (especially on his own song), though there were more than a few sour notes during his rendition of OneRepublic’s “Apologize”. Still, it’s easy to forget the dude actually has some talent, and this impromptu performance was a humanizing reminder.
You can take or leave the guy’s music — and his persona, for that matter — but you have to admit, seeing a barroom show from a guy who usually sells tickets for hundreds of dollars has to be pretty rad. Those patrons got a unique memory, and Bieber got a comped bar tab. Not a bad Friday night. Check out video above and below.
