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Justin Bieber dodges a flying shoe after telling fans he wouldn’t sing ‘Despacito’

'Don't throw things at me, please.'

 

Christine Friar

Streaming

Posted on Jun 13, 2017   Updated on May 23, 2021, 3:19 am CDT

Justin Bieber can’t seem to win.

Back in May, the heartthrob caught flack for attempting to sing his hit collaboration with Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee “Despacito” even though he doesn’t speak Spanish. This week, though, fans are mad that he won’t perform the song live.

Onstage at the Summerfest festival in Stockholm, Sweden, over the weekend, the singer took a minute to explain why he wouldn’t be singing the smash hit.

“I can’t do that specifically,” the 23-year-old said to the audience. “I don’t know the words… I can’t do it.”

It looks like the crowd was receptive for the most part, cheering and waving their phones as Bieber smiled and sipped bottled water. But then moments later, a beige blur whizzed past his head. It was a shoe, apparently. A shoe of defiance.

In a testament to Bieber’s reflexes, he was able to dodge the projectile pretty easily:

He kept his cool in the moment, politely requesting of audience members, “Don’t throw things at me, please,” before launching into his next song.

For the sake of Bieber’s fans’ sanity—and his own safety—it might be time for him to learn these lyrics.

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*First Published: Jun 13, 2017, 10:33 am CDT