Bieber’s big Coachella night

Justin Bieber closed Coachella’s Saturday night with a headlining set on April 11 that turned into a live reunion for “Essence” when Wizkid and Tems walked onstage. (latimes.com) (usatoday.com) The performance happened at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, during Weekend 1 of Coachella 2026, which runs April 10 to 12 and returns April 17 to 19. Bieber was one of the festival’s three top-billed headliners alongside Sabrina Carpenter and Karol G. (coachella.com) (coachellavalley.com) Coachella’s official schedule listed Bieber for the Saturday main-stage closing slot, and the festival carried the set on its YouTube livestream as part of seven-stage coverage. USA Today reported his official Coachella lineup debut came on Saturday, April 11, 2026. (coachella.com 1) (coachella.com 2) (usatoday.com) The surprise guests mattered because “Essence” already linked the three artists before this weekend: Wizkid and Tems released the song in 2020, and Bieber joined the remix in 2021. The track became the first Nigerian song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 and later earned Grammy nominations, making it one of the songs most associated with Afrobeats’ crossover into United States pop radio. (usatoday.com) (billboard.com) Bieber’s set also doubled as a return story. The Hollywood Reporter said he opened around 11:30 p.m., leaned heavily on material from his recent “Swag” era, and brought out other guests including The Kid Laroi, Dijon and Mk.gee. (hollywoodreporter.com) That return comes after several years in which Bieber canceled remaining Justice World Tour dates in September 2022 after saying he needed to prioritize his health following Ramsay Hunt syndrome. He also sold his music catalog to Hipgnosis Songs Capital in January 2023 in a deal widely reported at about $200 million. (abcnews.go.com) (axios.com) His personal life changed too: Justin and Hailey Bieber welcomed their son, Jack Blues Bieber, on August 22, 2024. The Hollywood Reporter framed the Coachella booking as Bieber’s biggest concert in years after that stretch of health, business and family changes. (eonline.com) (hollywoodreporter.com) By Sunday morning, the clips moving fastest were the simplest ones: Bieber, Wizkid and Tems sharing a stage in the desert on a song that had already traveled far beyond Coachella. Weekend 2 gives Bieber the same headlining slot again on Saturday, April 18. (latimes.com) (coachella.com)