Bieber fans eagerly await Winnipeg concert

Winnipeg's MTS Centre is filling up with fans excited to see Justin Bieber on stage tonight.

Concert-goers started lining up at the downtown Winnipeg venue as early as 3 p.m. CT for the show, which is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.

Among those who were there was Jasmine Mann, 11, who was given VIP tickets to the Bieber concert by a First Nations investment group on Wednesday.

Jasmine's mother, Tanya Nepinak, went missing over a year ago and is presumed to have been killed by alleged serial killer Shawn Lamb.

Late Thursday afternoon, Jasmine got an opportunity to meet Bieber in person. He placed his arm around her and called her a sweetie, she told the CBC's Katie Nicholson afterwards.

"He looked like one of those pictures on the posters," she said, adding that he's taller than she thought he would be.

Earlier in the day, groups of fans staked out the Fairmont Hotel and the MTS Centre, hoping to catch a glimpse of the pop sensation.

One fan, Jane Park, snapped a photo of Bieber wearing a grey hoodie, maroon pants and blue shoes running to his tour bus.

Some Winnipeg parents tried on Thursday to snag last-minute tickets for their children to see Bieber perform.

Kendra Inglis was unable to secure tickets when they first went on sale, so she scoured the internet for a last-minute deal.

Inglis said she has not had much success to date.

"Lots of people, you know, they've doubled the prices of the tickets, or [they sell tickets for] face value and they never ever call back, or they've sold," she said.

"So again, we're stuck in a muck."

The last time Bieber played in Winnipeg, Inglis spent $800 on tickets so her six children could attend.

"Last year it was so crazy. Just the expression and the look on their faces, that they were able to go, was huge to me," she said.

"My eight-year-old daughter bawled her face off when he had first come out on stage. It's important that they can experience stuff like that."

On! Wednesday night, a member of Bieber's band snapped an Instagram photo of the star dining at Ichiban, a Japanese restaurant on the city.

Bieber's last visit to the Manitoba capital was in October 2011, when he accompanied girlfriend Selena Gomez as she performed there as part of her We Own the Night tour.

The young celebrity couple watched the NHL's Winnipeg Jets win against the Carolina Hurricanes, dined aboard the replica ship Nonsuch at the Manitoba Museum, and rented a movie theatre for a private showing of Reel Steel.

Gomez even adopted a puppy from a D'Arcy's A.R.C., a local animal rescue centre.

Bieber's father is from Winnipeg and Bieber spent time growing up in the city.