Bieber's cameo-packed Coachella

Justin Bieber used Coachella’s second weekend to turn a mixed first showing into a guest-heavy, higher-energy headlining set on April 18 in Indio, California. (aol.com) AOL and Rolling Stone said Bieber’s Weekend 2 set added Billie Eilish, SZA, Sexyy Red, Big Sean and Dijon, after his April 11 Weekend 1 show had already featured The Kid LAROI, Tems, Wizkid and Mk.gee. (aol.com) (rollingstone.com) Eilish joined Bieber for “One Less Lonely Girl,” and SZA appeared later for “Snooze,” while Big Sean came out for “As Long as You Love Me” and “No Pressure,” according to Rolling Stone’s recap of the April 18 performance. (rollingstone.com) The second-weekend buzz landed after a more divisive first weekend, when the Los Angeles Times described Bieber spending about half an hour singing along with old music videos he pulled up on a laptop during his April 11 headline slot. (aol.com) That shift gave Weekend 2 a clearer shape: less focus on the laptop-and-archives segment, more focus on surprise entrances, older hits and crowd-recognition moments built for the livestream and social clips. (aol.com) (rollingstone.com) Coachella mattered here because Bieber had not mounted a full large-scale return in recent years, and the festival booked him for both Saturdays, April 11 and April 18, as his first Coachella headlining run. (aol.com 1) (aol.com 2) He also made the show personal. Coverage of Weekend 1 and his later Instagram recap said Bieber shouted out Hailey Bieber and their son, Jack Blues Bieber, during “Everything Hallelujah.” (aol.com 1) (aol.com 2) On April 21, Bieber posted backstage photos from Weekend 2, including images with Hailey Bieber and onstage shots with SZA and Billie Eilish, extending the festival conversation beyond the performance itself. (aol.com) People’s syndicated report said one carousel opened with a backstage photo of Justin and Hailey embracing, and another included Eilish reacting onstage after joining him for “One Less Lonely Girl.” (aol.com) For now, the Coachella sets are the only shows on Bieber’s public schedule, Rolling Stone reported, which leaves the April 18 performance as the strongest recent signal of how he wants this comeback phase to look. (rollingstone.com)