Mexico City plaza jammed for Bieber

MEXICO CITY - Thousands "tween" girls and their parents packed into Mexico City's historic main plaza Monday night, braving a light but incessant rain before a free concert by teen superstar Justin Bieber that was expected to draw 200,000 people.

Bieber arrived to the Zocalo area in one of four SUVs that were escorted by a dozen police officers on motorcycles while Mexican DJs "3BallMTY" played to the crowd unaware of his arrival.

The gray and reddish stones of the Zocalo were covered in a sea of purple as the mainly 10- to 14-year-old crowd paid homage to what is reported to be Bieber's favorite color.

Hundreds at the plaza, which was jammed to capacity, had to cover themselves in plastic rain capes sold by vendors who came prepared for a rainy evening.

Earlier, girls trundled through security checkpoints with hats and umbrellas, staking claim to some of the roughly 80,000 spots allocated in the plaza itself. An additional 120,000 or more fans were expected to watch on giant TV screens erected on nearby streets.

Fernanda Gutierrez Aparicio, a 13-year-old seventh-grader at a local middle school, said she spent a week camping out with her mother on a nearby street in hopes of being among the first to enter. She said they returned home only to bathe and look after Fernanda's 15-year-old sister, who recently had surgery.

But her mother, Adriana Martinez, 41, gave up on trying to get her daughter into the front rows because of the press of other fans.

"I was really disappointed. When we got up front, people were crushing you, not letting you breathe," Martinez said. Even hours before the concert, "People were jostling each other and it got to the point that you couldn't move."

To Fernanda, it was all worth it - even missing the week of classes leading up to the two-hour concert that was to open with "3BallMTY" and Canadian singer Carly Rae Jepsen.

"I told my teacher that I wasn't going to school and not to expect me in class for a few days, because I was going to be out supporting my idol," Fernanda said.

Fernanda most wanted to hear Bieber sing "That Should Be Me," which pretty much reflects her feelings about the Canadian singer.

"I want to be Selena Gomez, to be with him," she cooed, referring to Bieber's girlfriend.

Authorities said they would have more than 5,000 police on hand, partly to prevent the sort of crush that injured 40 Bieber fans at a free concert in Oslo, Norway, in late May.

"Most of the fans will be between 10 and 17 years old. There will be a lot of girls," said Hector Antunano, a city official. "We are being very careful that the majority of the police are women and we are taking precautions so that there is no rush toward the stage."

A similar concert in the Zocalo last month by former Beatle Paul McCartney drew an estimated 230,000 people.