Artists owe you nothing. Yet, Justin Bieber's decision to cancel the remaining dates of his Purpose World Tour wasn't without its backlash from fans (and people who type in all caps for a living). The majority of reactions, thankfully, were supportive. "You deserve a break," one fan account tweeted, for example. "You deserve to be safe. You deserve to be happy. You deserve to be healthy."
But some haven't been quite as understanding, including whoever the hell this is:
Bieber's move has also garnered reactions from fellow artists, including John Mayer. In a pair of tweets Monday, Mayer sent out exactly the right message: Respect the decision, as it probably wasn't made lightly.
Of course, what Mayer is respectfully alluding to are the infamously grueling demands of the touring artist, particularly those at Bieber's level. Despite how it feels from the fan perspective when, say, Kanye West is literally floating above your head on the Saint Pablo tour or Morrissey is generally Morrisseying, these people are actual human beings who are just as capable of feeling exhausted as you are.
Maybe Bieber just wants to hang out without 20,000 phones in his face every night. In fact, when the ruthless paparazzi coyotes caught up with Bieber in Santa Monica following the tour cancelation, he confirmed as much.
"Everything's fine," Bieber said, according to TMZ. "I've been on tour for two years...Just resting and getting some relaxation. I'm gonna ride some bikes." Bieber also apologized to any fans who may have felt "betrayed" by his decision. "I love you guys, I think you guys are awesome," he added.
Bieber's manager, Scooter Braun, also addressed the tour cancelation. In a lengthy Instagram note, Braun congratulated Bieber on the "incredible" Purpose run. "That was never our intent," Braun said of fans who missed the chance to see the Purpose experience in person. "But a man's soul and well being I truly care about came first and We must all respect and honor that. [sic]."
And to be fair, Bieber has been on the road in support of Purpose (an album that came out in 2015!) for a run of more than 150 shows across six continents in 18 months. Instead of hounding him about canceling a mere 14 dates, maybe you should just let him recharge for a bit. He'll most certainly be back. Also, ignore what fucking Mark McGrath is saying.
