When Justin Bieber decided to eliminate the VIP meet-and-greet option from his Purpose World Tour, fans were disappointed.
According to Bieber, such interactions left him “drained and unhappy,” as posted in an Instagram post.
Bieber captioned a photo with a young fan on his Instagram page,”Want to make people smile and happy but not at my expense and I always leave feeling mentally and emotionally exhausted to the point of depression…Never want to disappoint but I feel I would rather give you guys the show and my albums as promised.”
But fans who had already purchased the costly option—that can cost upward of $2,000—were unable to get a full refund despite cancellation from the superstar, himself. Initially, it was an all or nothing choice, choose to go to the concert or not attend at all. That has since been changed, and fans are now able to get their money back.
And if decided to still attend, there was still an opportunity to take a photo with the Canadian singer—The cardboard cut-out version, that is. See below:
*pays $2000 for a Justin Bieber meet and greet ticket* pic.twitter.com/ecvWEQaHMu
— mackenzie (@heavymetalorgy) March 26, 2016
Fans were able to snap photos with a cardboard version of Bieber, who was dressed in a plaid shirt, ripped denim and white sneakers, backstage.
Fans of Bieber and other commenters expressed a mix reaction to the news of the apologetic singer forgoing the meet-and-greets. Some fans were understanding of Bieber putting his health first, others were not so forgiving, unamused that Bieber’s camp weren’t offering a partial refund. Read some of the reactions below.
Losing 2k is nothing to him, but imagine all the people that spent months working so they could pay for those tickets
— maya (@bakingswifts) March 23, 2016
I’m glad Justin is putting his mental wellbeing and health before everything this tour, it’s the most important thing #WeAreHereForYouJustin
— Justin Bieber News (@iBieberThought) March 23, 2016
How pathetic @justinbieber cancelling his meet and greet after people have paid. No respect given to people who have paid so much money.
— fayelouiseparkinson (@fayeparkinson) March 23, 2016
Someone stop Justin Bieber his lack of respect for his fans right now is making me sick to my stomach… Cardboard cutout for 2K…
— Cait (@falIingfroyou) March 26, 2016
