By Alison Decker, Yolisa Tswanya, Daneel Knoetze and Murray Williams
Cape Town - Beliebers swarmed the V&A Waterfront and the Cape Town Stadium hours – and in some cases days – before Justin Bieber took to the stage on Wednesday night, ignoring rain, security guards, traffic, school rules and all else in their way.
Shrieks that could be heard on Signal Hill resounded as the icon swaggered on to the stage shortly before 9pm – almost an hour late.
The sold-out crowd had been thoroughly warmed up by opening acts Locnville and ChianoSky. But the fans had been warmed up for days.
The sky may have opened on Wednesday, but some fans who had been camping outside the stadium since Tuesday morning did not allow weather to cloud their mood.
Tiara Pathon, who was camping out with her two daughters, Ammarah, 14, and Bilquis, 12, said: “We’re roughing it together, because we all know what we’re here for. Everyone can now hear the soundcheck coming from inside the stadium and the closer we get to show time, the more the excitement grows.”
As people started filtering into the Golden Circle area late on Wednesday, those in the queue stayed vigilant and kept track of their and other people’s position in the queue.
“There is a lot of solidarity, but every now and again irritation flares up and people are like: ‘Hey, wait a minute! You weren’t ahead of me! Are you trying to push in?’” said Pathon.
Fans also lined up outside of the One&Only hotel — where Bieber is believed to be staying – for hours on Wednesday afternoon in hopes of spotting the star. Some girls enjoying tea and cake inside the hotel caught a glimpse of the international superstar. They said that after about an hour in the hotel, they spotted Bieber walking by.
According to one of the girls, Gabby Gonsalves, he put his finger to his lips knowingly as he passed them.
“He went shush! so we didn’t scream. He smiled and waved at us. It was special,” she said.
Outside the hotel, fans would spontaneously erupt into shouts and screams whenever they thought they caught a glimpse of Bieber, and enthusiastically wave at the windows. Chants of “JUSTIN! JUSTIN!” were constantly ringing out from the sidewalks.
At the stadium, fans were speculating that a crew member walking from the stadium was either Bieber or part of his posse, prompting frantic cheers, with teenage girls hugging one another or fanning themselves.
Some of the girls who had spent the night at the stadium claimed to have seen Bieber at the Green Point McDonald’s. As they were describing the sighting to the Cape Argus, one of the girls started hyperventilating, presumably from the overwhelming excitement of the recollection. She begged her friends to stop talking, saying that she was in danger of fainting.
Samantha Khan, owner of the McDonald’s and Bieber concert attendee, confirmed that Justin was “at our store!”
She said Bieber was a nice young man who went around shaking everyone’s hands.
“He came in and bought some stuff and shook the people’s hand behind the counter and he was doing some dance moves,” said Khan.
Back at the stadium, Golden Circle ticket holders were also trying to figure out how to get in the best spot to see Bieber during the show itself.
Gonsalves and her friends, including Litha Maqungo, were planning on fighting their way to the front of the Golden Circle area. “I’ve got my elbows, and my Swedish House Mafia face, and I’m gonna get to the front.”
Inside the stadium, “Girl Power” seized control on Wednesday night as thousands of young girls got their first glimpse of the global mega star.
Beer sale points were near-deserted, frequented primarily by hairy-chinned fathers, delighted to escape the giddy, giggling masses for a cold draught of relief.
Back in the stands, women of every conceivable description – Muslim women in head veils, blondes in glittery tank tops and moms – were screaming for Justin.
It has been a big week for the cash-strapped stadium – it hosted the Bon Jovi Because We Can concert on Tuesday night.
Mayoral committee member for tourism, events and marketing Grant Pascoe said they had not worked out how much the back-to- back concerts had brought in, but everything was running smoothly. Speaking shortly before the Cape Argus went to press on Wednesday night, he said: “With this Bieber concert we were dealing with a very young audience and we focused on trying to keep everyone safe, and everything has been smooth so far.”
Pascoe said the concerts showed the city was capable of hosting two major events so close together.