'I never have any intent to upset': Justin Bieber apologises on Twitter after late show devastates O2 fans

- Teenagers forced to sleep at Tube station overnight after star's late show- Angry parents brand singer's behaviour disgusting and demand refunds
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Justin Bieber apologised this afternoon for disappointing thousands of young fans by being almost two hours late on stage at the O2.

Children as young as eight sobbed because they had to leave before he appeared. Some teenagers were forced to sleep at the arena or at stations because they missed their last trains home last night.

The 19-year-old superstar, who appeared briefly on the balcony of the Langham Hotel in London today to wave to fans, said: “I never have any intent to upset or let anyone down. There is no excuse for that and I apologise for anyone we upset.”

BOOS AT THE O2 FOR BIEBER

He was meant to take to the stage at 8.30pm after support acts but did not appear until 10.22pm. Parents who paid as much as £68 a ticket branded his behaviour “disgusting” and demanded a refund. Many of his school-age fans did not get home until the early hours of today because the show only finished at midnight.

Bieber took to Twitter to apologise for the late-running of the show which he blamed on “technical issues”. In a series of tweets to his 35 million followers he wrote: “Last night i was scheduled after 3 opening acts to go on stage at 935 not 830 but because of some technical issues i got on at 10:10..so...i was 40 min late to stage. there is no excuse for that and I apologize for anyone we upset. However it was great show and Im proud of that. and tonight we will run on time and look forward to putting on an amazing show for everyone in attendance. my relationship with the media is not always easy but im trying. Im all about the music and the performance and i respect my fans.

“i never have any intent to upset or let anyone down. and Im not okay with things being exaggerated. once again sorry for anyone upset. now we have a show to do today and Im gonna focus on the positive and put on a great show tonight here in London. NIGHT 2 at the 02 is gonna be even better. get ready. thanks.”

He added: “we have also made adjustments to the set times to have me go on earlier for the coming shows. see u there.”

People who had booked tickets and newspaper reviewers were told Bieber would take to the stage at 8.30pm for a performance that would last around two hours. A countdown finally began at 10.10pm but Bieber did not emerge on stage until 10.22pm.

The Canadian singer made a brief appearance today on the balcony of the Langham Hotel in Marylebone where he is staying. Dressed in a T-shirt and a baseball cap he flashed a peace sign to scores of fans outside.

John Lush, 48, an advertising manager, took his 10-year-old daughter Amelie and her friend Ellie Compton, to the O2. They were only able to stay for one song before they had to leave to catch the train home to Bromley. Mr Lush refused to accept Bieber’s apology, saying: “It was a once in a lifetime opportunity for them to see Bieber and they only got to see five minutes of him. His apology doesn’t change that.” He added: “I am absolutely livid. I don’t think a refund would compensate the emotional damage he has done to my children. Giving money to a 10-year-old who couldn’t see their hero is not enough, not when they have school the next day. The girls were so angry and upset at Bieber by the time they left.”

Online ticketing site Viagogo said today it had seen a 48 per cent jump in the number of people trying to sell their tickets for Bieber’s three remaining O2 shows, the second of which is tonight.

There was loud booing from the 20,000 audience —some who had been queuing since 6.30pm — before Bieber took to the stage. They had been watching an empty stage while the organisers played Michael Jackson songs.

Mother-of-two Karen Reeve, from Southend, waited outside the arena to collect her daughters for more than two hours. She said: “I’m absolutely irate. I’m furious. They have GCSEs and I cannot believe Justin Bieber would do something like this. There was no explanation, no apology. His fans are children. This is not on.” Louise Cooper, who had taken her nine-year-old daughter Cerys to the show, said fans were in tears outside after they were forced to miss most of the concert in order to get home. The O2 apologised via Twitter for the delay.

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