Bieber’s polarizing Coachella set
Justin Bieber’s Coachella set over the weekend split fans — he leaned on lesser-known songs, performed in a hoodie, and at points played snippets of his hits from YouTube on a laptop. (The Daily Mail described the hoodie, the use of YouTube snippets, and noted it was his first full-length live set in nearly four years.) The performance sparked viral reaction clips online, including celebrity responses picked up in video roundups. (Yahoo Entertainment; YouTube: )
Justin Bieber’s Saturday night Coachella set split the crowd after he spent part of it seated at a laptop, playing old YouTube clips instead of singing full hits. (yahoo.com) Bieber headlined the Coachella Stage in Indio, California, on April 11, 2026, in a 90-minute set that started at 11:25 p.m., according to the festival schedule and local coverage. (coachella.com) (desertsun.com) Coverage from Yahoo, SFGATE and The Desert Sun said Bieber leaned heavily on songs from “Swag” and “Swag II” before shifting into a stripped-down section where he sat on a stool at a high table and clicked through his own videos on YouTube. (yahoo.com) (sfgate.com) (desertsun.com) That section became the center of the reaction. NewsNation, via Yahoo, reported that some viewers called the set confusing and disappointing, while other fans said the format felt nostalgic and more personal. (yahoo.com) The performance also landed as Bieber’s first billed Coachella lineup appearance and a major live return after several years away from full-scale touring. The Desert Sun previewed the set as his first headlining Coachella performance and a comeback after an extended break from the road. (desertsun.com 1) (desertsun.com 2) The staging looked minimal by design. Variety, published through Yahoo, described the show as “barely-there” at first, with Bieber alone onstage for long stretches and only later joined by guests and guitarists. (yahoo.com) Guest appearances did arrive late in the set. Variety reported that The Kid Laroi joined Bieber for “Stay,” and Tems and Wizkid later appeared for “I Think You’re Special” and “Essence.” (yahoo.com) His clothes became part of the conversation too. GQ said Bieber performed in a Skylrk sweatshirt and sunglasses, a look the magazine framed as a deliberately low-key contrast to the scale usually expected from a Coachella headliner. (gq.com) The online reaction spread beyond fan posts. An Entertainment Tonight video roundup showed Katy Perry reacting to Bieber’s YouTube-heavy set and joking on video, “Thank God he has Premium,” as clips from the performance kept circulating on Sunday. (youtube.com) Weekend 2 runs April 17 to April 19, and Bieber is scheduled again on the Coachella lineup. That means the same set, or a revised version of it, is likely to be watched with even more scrutiny. (coachella.com)
