justin bieber sick

Justin Bieber fans throw Timbiebs at merch bus after Toronto shows cancelled

Justin Bieber may be sick, but his fans are even sicker... of getting all geared up for concerts that never actually happen. Some are even frustrated enough to throw dough at the problem. Literal, deep-fried, Bieber-branded dough balls.

The wildly-popular Canadian crooner and men's fashion influencer was scheduled to perform two back-to-back shows at Toronto's Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday, June 7, and Wednesday, June 8, with a massive haul of merch in tow for fans to buy.

The Justice World Tour Pop-Up opened as scheduled on Tuesday, but the concert itself was cancelled — or, officially speaking, "postponed" — just hours before showtime. Wednesday night's concert was also nixed due to what venue operators described as a "non-COVID related illness."

"The Justice Tour has postponed this week's Toronto shows," announced MLSE Hold onto your tickets as they will be honored when the rescheduled dates are announced shortly," announced Scotiabank Arena just after 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

"Can't believe I'm saying this. I've done everything to get better but my sickness is getting worse," said Bieber himself on Instagram the same day. "My heart breaks that I will have to postpone these next few shows (doctor's orders). To all my people love you so much and I'm gonna rest and get better!"

While everyone can sympathize with someone being too ill to work, the abrupt postponement upset a lot of fans — especially those who'd travelled in from out of town for the show. Especially those who were there as the result of multiple previous postponements.

One fan named Chrissy, who has tried and failed four times now to use a pair of Bieber tickets she purchased in 2017, was both frustrated and suspicious to learn on Tuesday afternoon that the scheduled event had been postponed. Again.

"Like many other fans, my sister and I had planned our travel and accommodation arrangements months in advance. Luckily, we only live around an hour away — I know many other fans were not so lucky," she told blogTO this week. "We had just stepped off the train at Union Station when we received the bad news via his Instagram story."

A longtime Belieber, Chrissy has been to multiple Justin Bieber concerts and even a meet and greet in the past (during the My World and My World 2.0 era, she says.)

The tickets she had for Tuesday night in Toronto were first purchased in 2017.

"Since then our tickets have either been postponed or cancelled four separate times, resulting in thousands of dollars being held up in these tickets for close to five years," she said. "We felt that the abrupt cancellation, although certainly for legitimate reasons, warranted a more sincere response and detailed explanation as to the next steps."

Annoyed and looking for something to channel their frustration into, the girls got creative with a box of Timbiebs.

"Our immediate thoughts when we heard of the cancellation was that it seemed odd Justin was promoting his pop up merch shop in Toronto the previous evening, and to us, it just gave off the appearance that Justin or his team were trying to veil the fact that the show was going to be cancelled and still capitalize on the opportunity to promote his collaboration with Tim Hortons, and his merchandise," said Chrissy, making a fair point.

So, as a symbolic gesture, she and her sister embarked upon a silly act, video footage of which has since gone viral on TikTok as the "Tim Bieb Toss."

In the video, which has an overlay reading "When Justin Bieber cancels his Toronto concert for the fourth time in a row," some fans can be seen tossing Timbits (of the Justin Bieber variety) at a bus bearing the words "Justin Bieber Justice World Tour."

"The truck that it was thrown at appeared to be full of his merchandise, and nobody was inside," Chrissy made sure to clarify. "I think a lot of people who viewed the video mistook it for his tour bus containing him or his team, but I can assure everyone we wouldn't have thrown anything if that was the case. We picked up the Tim Bieb that was thrown and gave the remaining few away."

The video caught fire for obvious reasons — it's hilarious, and it perfectly encapsulates how frustrating the experience of being cancelled on by Bieber, again and again, must be.

"I think it's apparent to anyone who reads the comments of the TikTok that it struck a chord with all the Beliebers," said Chrissy, noting that the light-hearted video was initially only created to share with immediate friends.

"I'd just like to put it out there that we empathize that real life, and especially a performer's health, takes priority. Our frustration doesn't come from the fact that Justin got sick. We're frustrated with how the situation was handled, and how it felt like fans of his were exploited with targeted advertising for his pop-up shops and Tim Horton's collaboration."

The Timbit tossers still have no idea when they'll finally see Bieber live, and no guarantee that they actually will get to see him ever.

"I think Justin and his team can show a little bit more empathy to his Toronto fanbase. I think with an artist this size the resources exist to make something significant happen for his fans as a gesture for their continued support," said Chrissy.

"Whether it be compensation for flights and travel expenses, refunded ticket costs, or even just an effort to ensure a show comes back to Toronto sooner rather than later, I think the fans deserve something."

And it should be more than a cup of Biebs Brew — the iced coffee product Bieber not-so-coincidentally launched in partnership with Tim Hortons one day before his Toronto shows were cancelled.

"I tried the 'Biebs Brew' on the day of the concert but it upset my stomach," said Chrissy. "I should've taken that as a sign."

Lead photo by

chrissycrips


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