A well-behaved Bieber drives fans wild at the Wells Fargo

Pop swain Justin Bieber has been taking a beating in the press lately for a rash of delinquent behaviors.

So what do you do when your life is going to hell in a mop bucket?

You pull your big-boy pants halfway up and put on a great show. That's exactly what Bieber did Wednesday night in front of a frantic young crowd at the Wells Fargo Center.

This is the same Believe Tour that brought Bieber to town eight months ago. Same set list. Same spectacle, including his entrance: lowered from the rafters while harnessed in gigantic wings like an archangel with sunglasses. But this show was put on by a far more committed performer.

The 19-year-old flirted, danced, sang, and emoted. It was a remarkable and refreshing change from his concert in November when he seemed petulant, at times almost disdainful.

Bieber displayed energy and focus in the big choreographed workouts including "Take You," "Beauty and the Beat," and "As Long as You Love Me."

He's too slouchy to ever be a great dancer, but, boy, that kid can sing. It was his beatific balladeer side that shone most brightly Wednesday during sparer songs such as "Be Alright," "One Less Lonely Girl," and a doo-woppy "Die in Your Arms."

He ended many songs with extended a cappella glissandos, flourishes that drove the girls into hysterics.

For the most part his stage comportment was appropriate for his young audience. He got down to a sleeveless white T-shirt that displayed his growing menagerie of tattoos fairly early in the evening, but Bieber didn't go topless until the encores, "Boyfriend" and "Baby." The more sexually aggressive hip-hop gestures he has cultivated were, at least on this night, toned down.

One thing he made very, very clear: He does not like girls throwing objects of any kind onto the stage. The crowd at the Wells Fargo came perilously close to earning a timeout.

Were Bieber's newfound generosity and solicitousness a sign of maturity, or were they a form of penance for his tabloid misdeeds? Doesn't matter, as long as he learns the wisdom set down by the granddaddy of all pop idols, Elvis Presley: Any kind of nonsense can be overlooked as long as you take care of business.

You better belieb.