Bieber’s laptop set divides

Justin Bieber’s Coachella headlining set on Saturday, April 11, turned into one of the festival’s biggest arguments after he spent part of the show working from a laptop and singing along to old YouTube clips. (coachella.com) (hollywoodreporter.com) Bieber closed Day 2 of Weekend 1 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, starting around 11:30 p.m. and playing a nearly 90-minute set that leaned heavily on songs from *Swag* and *Swag II*. (coachella.com) (hollywoodreporter.com) (yahoo.com) Midway through the show, he opened YouTube on a laptop connected to the giant stage screens, typed in “Baby,” and ran through short snippets of older hits including “Beauty and a Beat,” “Never Say Never” and “Confident.” (hollywoodreporter.com) (rollingstone.com) That section scrambled the usual rules for a Coachella headliner. The Hollywood Reporter called it a “karaoke party,” while the Los Angeles Times’ live coverage labeled the moment “YouTube karaoke.” (hollywoodreporter.com) (latimes.com) Other reviews described the same show as unusually bare for the main stage. Rolling Stone wrote that Bieber spent most of the night alone on a huge stage with little production, and The Hollywood Reporter noted there were no backup dancers, major props or costume changes. (rollingstone.com) (hollywoodreporter.com) The split reaction came in part because the set doubled as a comeback marker. USA Today said the April 11 performance was Bieber’s major live return after years of canceled dates and sparse touring, and The Hollywood Reporter tied the show to the period after his health-related tour cancellations, catalog sale, fatherhood and break with Scooter Braun. (usatoday.com) (hollywoodreporter.com) It also arrived at a festival built for livestreams as much as the field in Indio. Coachella published a full 2026 streaming schedule, and coverage on Sunday was already framing Bieber’s set as an internet event as much as a concert. (djmag.com) (yahoo.com) Bieber did give the crowd conventional festival moments at the end. He brought out The Kid Laroi, Dijon, Tems, Wizkid and Mk.gee across the set, with fireworks closing the final run of songs. (hollywoodreporter.com) (rollingstone.com) Weekend 2 starts April 17, and Bieber is scheduled to headline again on Friday, April 18. The same laptop segment that split viewers on April 11 now gives him a second desert crowd — and a second livestream audience — to play against. (coachellavalley.com) (newsweek.com)