The singer played his hits new and old during his first set in over a year.
The Biebs is back! Justin Bieber took the stage for a surprise performance on Thursday night in Toronto, Ontario -- and his wife, Hailey Bieber, is touting the "jb eras."
The show comes on the heels of a series of social media posts that included pictures of the "Sorry" singer performing in a studio space. The snaps generated a lot of excitement from commenters, who felt sure that this is a sign of the 29-year-old star's return to music one year after he cancelled his delay-plagued Justice World Tour amid a health struggle with Ramsay Hunt syndrome.
Hailey shared two clips of her husband's set on Instagram. In the first one, JB croons soulfully against a simple piano instrumental. "Correct," she captioned the snippet.
In the next, Justin's knees bounce wildly as he delivers a fresh take on his 2010 hit, "Eenie Meenie."
"Here's your jb eras performance," Hailey wrote over the video.
The "Eenie Meenie" revamp proved to be a fan favorite with those in the crowd, with many capturing the moment and sharing it on X (formerly known as Twitter). Among the other hits he performed were "Baby," "Snooze," "Peaches" and "Hold On."
Fans were also quick to hail Justin's vocals, with one writing, "Those vocalsssss Justin Bieber voice is such a druggg." Another chimed in, "one thing about justin bieber?? his mic is ALWAYS on."
In one disappointment from the show, The Kid LAROI was apparently nowhere to be found when Justin called on him to come to the stage. Instead of going solo with their 2021 smash, "Stay," Justin made his exit from the stage. "Love you guys so much," he told the fans, flashing a peace sign.
Justin wore a blue-and-gold National Hockey League jersey for the occasion, as he was in town as an honorary captain for Tim Horton's NHL All-Star Player Draft at Scotiabank Arena earlier that day. The native of London, Ontario, was in good company, with fellow Canadian stars Tate McRae, Will Arnett and Michael Bublé also serving as celeb captains.
Meanwhile, Justin's longtime friend and mentor, Usher, is gearing up for the year's biggest show in the U.S. as he'll play the Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Feb. 11.
As for whether Usher is planning to have any special guests join him on stage, the jury's out. While surprise cameos have become something of a tradition among Super Bowl Halftime performers, he hasn't confirmed any plans. However, he did hint at the possibility in a recent interview with ET.
Usher noted that he's "absolutely" fielding phone calls from past collaborators about a potential Super Bowl appearance, something he's been "considering a lot."
"It's magic time," he said of the performance, playing coy about possible special guests by saying, "Who knows?"
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