Justin Bieber Rocks the Plaza Friday on the Today Show

Photo of Bieber concert from Today Show website

Ham on Wry can't explain why so many teenage girls camped out from as early as Tuesday to ensure the best viewing areas for Justin Bieber's performance at the Toyota Concert Series this morning. In fact, this blogger fails to understand the millions of fans that follow him on Twitter and Facebook. Despite my inability to comprehend the Bieber phenomenon, he has also garnered a number of adult fans, and the Today Show teams appears among them.

In a pre-concert interview, Matt Lauer asked for Bieber's help in launching his Twitter account, so Justin obliged by tweeting a message encouraging people to follow Lauer. Within less than two minutes, he had thousands of followers, which means that the person who handles the show's digital media will most likely lose his bet, requiring him to streak on the set. Bieber certainly wields a power greater than many of the current top stars. His savvy with social media gives him an edge with his fans and provides them with frequent updates about his music, concerts, and events.

To his credit, Justin Bieber makes frequent visits to patients in children's hospitals. One young girl appeared on Today, sitting on his lap and haltingly told the story of her pretend marriage to Bieber.  Now known as "Mrs. Bieber", Eviana (unsure of spelling) said the ceremony involved a paper cut-out of Justin in the role of groom. The new "Mrs. Bieber" will have quite a story to tell her friends about that TV appearance.

I'm not enamored with his music, but Justin Bieber does have some redeeming qualities. He left his ego behind this morning and energetically entertained the thousands who had gathered.