Justin Bieber Surprises New Zealand Pub With Secret Piano Performance
Justin Bieber treated a handful of lucky diners in New Zealand to an impromptu piano performance last week, and most of them had no idea who was playing.
The 32-year-old pop star stopped into the Duke of Marlborough Hotel, a historic waterfront pub in the small Far North town of Russell, along with seven companions while vacationing in the country. Co-owner Bridgit Haagh told RNZ that Bieber came in for a few beers and snacks after spotting the venue’s red baby grand piano in the corner and deciding to sit down and play.
Bieber played for nearly an hour, but few patrons realized a global superstar sat behind the keys. According to Haagh, the singer had lifted the piano’s lid, which blocked his face from view inside the bar, and only four or five people outside the staff recognized him.
Those who did, she said, would walk past, do a double take and turn around in disbelief.
The “Baby” singer didn’t perform any of his own hits. Instead, he played a mix of modern songs as instrumentals. “He wasn’t singing, he was just playing the piano,” Haagh told RNZ.
Haagh told the Otago Daily Times that sitting there listening was “really surreal.” She explained that staff generally give VIP guests their space, and said she quietly encouraged the few diners who spotted Bieber to relax and enjoy the moment rather than spoil it by pulling out their phones.
Before the impromptu set, Bieber and his group enjoyed a seafood dinner that included oysters and ika mata, a traditional Pacific Island dish of raw fish marinated in citrus and coconut cream.
Before leaving, Bieber reportedly rang the pub’s bell to buy drinks for everyone in the room. He left just as a group of fans who had caught wind of his visit began arriving.
On Sunday, Bieber shared a photo of himself at the piano inside the hotel on Instagram, captioning the post simply, “what a trip.”
The post quickly spread online, with New Zealand comedian and TikToker Joe Daymond joking that Bieber had turned up at a random bar up north looking like a guy who drives a Nissan Skyline.
The intimate pub set is the latest in a string of stripped-down appearances from Bieber. Earlier this year, he headlined Coachella with a minimalist show where he sat at a laptop and played old YouTube clips of himself, including the 2008 cover videos that launched his career. The set divided fans, with some calling it lazy and others praising it as a nostalgic tribute to his roots.
Bieber learned to play piano, guitar, drums and trumpet as a child in Stratford, Ontario, before he was discovered on YouTube as a teenager.
For the staff and patrons at the Duke of Marlborough, however, the low-key performance was a night to remember.
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