Salim Merchant on Justin Bieber's lip-syncing row: He could have sung better

Canadian pop star Justin Bieber performs with a towel around his neck last night at DY Patil stadium, Navi Mumbai. Pic/Sneha Kharabe

There was a great vibe at Bieber's Mumbai concert last night. Stunning visuals, fabulous choreography and his talented band put together an incredible show. This is the second Bieber concert from his Purpose World Tour I am attending after Orlando. But, I thought, the Mumbai gig paled in production and sound quality to that one. At the earlier concert, elements like the rain shower on stage and the fan pit where Bieber crooned Sorry made for a grand finalé act. I missed that at the Mumbai gig. On a few occasions, people asked me, is he singing live?

He did in some songs, but didn't in many others. That's probably because his music is produced in a manner that makes replicating certain vocals hard at a live show. I admit, there were moments I felt he could have sung better, but, I liked that he was relaxed, not trying too hard to prove to be a great singer, which, in any case, I think he is.

His approach towards his shows is casual. He likes to create his own party effortlessly. But his beats, and their production, is top-notch and people were bouncing and singing nonetheless. Actually, he wouldn't care if they hadn't.

I would have liked if the show was produced in a manner where he could have sung live throughout. People come to a concert to experience the music live with all its human virtuosity and flaws. Just like the band blended so beautifully with the production and beats, singing live with the backing vocals would have made for a better experience.

Of course, everyone did have a lot of fun. I certainly did. As an artiste, I'd say it's nice to love your audience. You are who you are, because of them.