Justin Bieber’s ambiguous relationship with Selena Gomez has finally been defined as non-romantic, but on Sunday, the only woman that mattered was his mother — Pattie Mallette.
Following last weekend’s triumphant Cape Town show , 95,000 came out for the teen star’s concert at Johannesburg’s FNB stadium. Amid tight security, the 19-year-old delivered a reportedly ecstatically received performance to wrap the Believe tour’s first leg.
Dispensing with his usual winged descent — it only works with roofs — Bieber got down to business parsing through “All Around The World” and “Take You,” and old school hits “One Time,” “Somebody To Love” and “Eenie Meenie.”
In a concert highlight, Bieber broke with tour tradition for Mother’s Day.
Instead of singing “One Less Lonely Girl” to a random girl from the crowd, the teen star surprised his mother with a bouquet of roses and an onstage embrace to honor the occasion.
After the show, Bieber tweeted a message on the social media site that read:
“Happy Mother’s Day@pattiemallette. Today u r my #OLLG. Love u”
The Canadian followed that message with a picture of the moment and another tribute to his mother.
For her part, Mallette, who joined her son in South Africa along with the star’s manager Scooter Braun for the close of the tour, also tweeted her delight after the show, writing:
“So yep.. @justinbieber surprised me for mother’s day tonight & brought me out for OLLG! #verysweet.”
Bieber and the Believe tour are now breaking for five weeks before resuming at San Diego, Calif.,’s Valley View Casino Center on June 22. In the gap, the singer is set to perform at the Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas on May 19, where he is also up for a number of awards.
Following an earlier promise about extra Believe tour dates, yesterday the teen tweeted his now 39 million plus followers that an announcement on concerts in Australia, Asia and South America will be made shortly.
Meanwhile, somewhat shockingly, given her April 18 visit to see Bieber in Oslo, Norway on tour, Gomez recently revealed she is not in an intimate relationship with her former boyfriend.
In an interview with Boston’s Kiss 108 FM , the Spring Breakers star replied in the affirmative to her host’s probe as to whether she was “absolutely available in every way.”
The DJ introduced the personal subject by asking the 20-year-old:
“So sometimes you may see a boy walking down the street and he says, ‘let’s grab an ice-cream.’ You’re available?” Unequivocally Gomez answered, “Yep.”
Pressed again by the host, “You’re completely available in every way?,” the “Come and Get It” singer replied, “Yep!”
Then added: “By the way, that would be awesome if someone asked if I wanted ice cream because that would be cool.”
While many may be shocked at this turn of events, considering Bieber’s posting of two Instagrams of the couple when Gomez briefly joined him in Europe, one of which showed the semi-clad pair in an intimate pose captioned :
“‘You’ve been makin’ music for too long baby come cuddle me – her.’”
However, subsequent comments made in interviews suggested resuming a full blown relationship with her ex of two years (the couple split in December/New Year) wasn’t on her agenda.
Speaking to InStyle magazine, while appearing on the glossy’s June issue cover, she admitted:
“You can’t help who you date. So I wouldn’t swear off that or say that’s what I want again. I don’t know. I’m a kid, and a breakup is normal,” adding, “‘I have to go through the emotions and feel it out. I’m doing my own thing, being with my friends, and he’s doing very well too.”
And during a guest spot last month on the Elvis Duran Z100 Morning Show in NYC, the former Disney star appeared to ice speculation that she had reignited her romance with Bieber, when she said:
“I feel within my music, and even how I handle myself in interviews, people think they know, but they really actually don’t … In a way, I like to keep myself a little bit private, but at the same time people do assume things.”
So that appears to be a wrap on any immediate hopes Bieber may have had, or still have for a romantic future with Gomez.
As for the Believe world tour, it’s been quite the rollercoaster.
To recap; late concert starts, social media venting, monkey troubles, persistent shirtlessness, Anne Frank, opening night vomiting, fainting, a run-in with a Brit paparazzo, nightclub rows, a canceled show, a tour bus drug bust, a shock stage invasion, Dubai speeding fines and an off-tour battery allegation — have equal parts entertained, horrified and concerned observers.
While some of the above has been overblown by excoriating media coverage, it’s also worth noting that — overall — Bieber has thrilled millions around the world in what has essentially been a rite of passage tour under intense scrutiny.
The next leg awaits.
Great way to end this leg of the tour. Excited to chill for a bit but I will announce Australia, Asia, and S America real soon
— Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) May 12, 2013