Justin Bieber greets his fervid fans. (Bauer Griffin)
Nearly half a century after four British musicians with funny hair ushered in Beatlemania, a new pop sensation has emerged from the cold depths of Canada. His name's Justin Bieber, and as he proved this week while visiting Europe, the 19-year-old has more in common with the Fab Four than most adult music fans would ever want to admit.
No, Bieber doesn't play in a band. Nor has he revolutionized the world of music. But seeing as the pop star nearly shut down Norway this week by simply showing his face in public, it's clear that on some level, he carries the same global aura that John, Paul, George, and Ringo embodied back in the '60s.
After thousands of ardent fans flocked to Oslo hoping to see the Biebs perform, city officials reportedly contemplated declaring a state of emergency. According to TMZ, police were forced to "beg" Bieber for help after realizing there were simply way too many teenage girls running amok like a wild pack of bargain shoppers let loose at a Walmart Black Friday sale.
Answering the call, Bieber took to his fake batmobile, drove into the city center, and hosed down all his overzealous fans with a high powered fire hose.
No we're kidding. He hid in a Scandinavian igloo an undisclosed location and tweeted his concern.
"NORWAY - please listen to the police. I don't want anyone getting hurt. I want everything to go to plan but your safety must come first..."
In the end, the concert went on as planned. And while Oslo's mayor reportedly hid behind a tree out of fear he might get trampled to death by a fan, TMZ reports only 14 girls were taken away for "emergency care."
More importantly, Bieber got out of town unscathed. Which is a good thing, because if he wasn't okay to travel, he wouldn't have made it to Paris on Thursday. And if he hadn't performed in Paris, he wouldn't have walked into a pane of glass backstage and concussed himself -- this according to TMZ.
You know, just another day in the life of an international pop star.
