On Saturday, tragic news arrived about a mass shooting at a supermarket in Buffalo. The incident resulted in 10 deaths and three injuries while 18-year-old Payton S. Gendron was taken into custody for an event that police describe as a “racially motivated hate crime.” The tragedy occurred hours before Justin Bieber was set to perform in the city as a part of his Justice World Tour. While the show went on as planned, the “Peaches” singer used the opportunity to remember the victims and spread some hope to those within the venue.
Prior to performing “Hurt,” Bieber shared a message with the crowd. “As we know, there’s so much division in this world,” he said. “So much racial injustice. As you and I both know, racism is evil and it is diabolical.” He continued, “But what you and I get to do, we get to be the difference makers. We get to be the people who continue to have the conversations with our friends and our family and our loved ones. We continue to be allies.”
Bieber later held a moment of silence for the victims. “To the people who couldn’t stay silent to honor the lives that were so tragically lost, I urge you to ask yourself why?” The singer also shared a video that captures him speaking to his team before the show. “I’m looking forward to tonight, looking forward to getting on that stage and doing what we do best and having a good time and bringing joy to the city,” he says in the video. “It’s much needed. So let’s just do that.”
You can watch videos from Bieber’s Buffalo show in the posts above.
