Bieber Headlines Coachella

Justin Bieber headlined Coachella for the first time on Saturday, April 11, closing the festival’s second night at the Empire Polo Club in Indio. (coachella.com) Bieber had appeared at Coachella before as a guest, including with Ariana Grande in 2019 and with Daniel Caesar and Giveon in 2022, but the Orange County Register reported that April 11 was his first full festival set and his first time atop the bill. (ocregister.com) Saturday’s lineup also put The Strokes, Giveon, Addison Rae, Morat, PinkPantheress and Jack White on the schedule, with NBC Los Angeles reporting Bieber’s Coachella Stage set time at 11:25 p.m. (nbclosangeles.com) The set landed in a year when Coachella is running April 10-12 and April 17-19, with YouTube again carrying the official livestream across seven stages. (coachella.com) Festival coverage on Saturday also centered on the weather. The Los Angeles Times reported high winds in the Coachella Valley disrupted campgrounds and forced the cancellation of Anyma’s Friday-night set, with more gusts expected into Saturday. (latimes.com) That made Bieber’s headlining debut part of a day defined as much by conditions as by billing. ABC7 reported that thousands of fans were expected back at the grounds Saturday after the windy start to Weekend 1. (abc7.com) Day 2 also showed how broad Coachella’s programming has become. The Los Angeles Times said the festival’s Bunker installation was hosting a Radiohead “Motion Picture House: Kid A Mnesia” screening alongside the main-stage schedule. (latimes.com) Reviews split sharply by act. The Desert Sun said Addison Rae’s solo Coachella Stage debut drew criticism for weak vocals, while the same outlet praised several of Saturday’s rock sets. (desertsun.com) The Los Angeles Times framed Bieber’s performance as a reset of what a Coachella headliner can look like, while local coverage elsewhere treated the night as a pop-star coronation after years of guest appearances and fan buildup. (latimes.com, ocregister.com) Weekend 1 resumes Sunday, April 12, before the same three-day festival returns for Weekend 2 on April 17-19. Bieber’s first headlining slot is over, but Coachella’s second weekend is still built to run it back. (coachella.com)