Justin Bieber’s much-anticipated Coachella set was a moving performance for some and an underwhelming show for others.
The 32-year-old singer headlined the music festival on April 11, mostly playing songs from his recent album, “Swag.” He also sang a few of his early hits that launched his career. Similar to his stripped down performance at the Grammys earlier this year, Bieber took a minimalistic approach to his production.
He initially appeared on stage Saturday night wearing a red hoodie, shorts, rain boots and sunglasses. At one point in the set, he sang while lying down on the stage, which was somewhat bare aside from a laptop and visuals displayed on a large screen behind him. Later for an acoustic section, he belted out his soulful lyrics while standing between two guitarists seated on stools.
Then came the start of the divisive part of his hour-and-a-half show. He sat in front of his laptop and typed the names of some of his first singles, like “Baby,” “Favorite Girl” and “That Should Be Me,” into the search bar on YouTube. He pulled up videos of his teenage self singing the songs and harmonized with the younger version for a few verses before switching to the next track. Bieber scrolled even further back and found clips of his “So Sick” and “With You” covers, filmed before he became a household name.
The YouTube section continued on until eventually the Grammy winner started clicking on silly paparazzi videos of himself and random viral videos.
To end his performance, he circled back to songs from “Swag” as fireworks decorated the Coachella Valley sky. “I love you guys,” Bieber told the crowd before jogging off stage.
Social media users on X dissected Bieber’s Coachella set, leading to mixed reviews.
Fans pointed out that Bieber playing his old videos was a way of acknowledging his experience in the music industry.
“Justin Bieber at Coachella performing onstage with younger self pre fame,” one tweeted. “It’s hard to believe so many people still seem so oblivious about what we’re really watching here.”
Another agreed that Bieber paid tribute to his younger self.
The X user said, “We are the internet generation. The reason Justin Bieber is on that stage is because he was discovered on YouTube. This is great storytelling. People are complaining, but this is beautiful. Watching your whole career play back in real time. I’m happy he is back on stage!!”
A third was ready for the singer to announce a world tour after seeing his set.
One playfully called the performance “karaoke night” but still enjoyed the show.
Some even poked fun at Bieber casually scrolling on his laptop in front of hundreds of thousands of fans.
But others called out the artist for lacking a big production compared to his fellow headliners, particularly Sabrina Carpenter. The “Espresso” singer performed on April 10 while surrounded by elaborate sets.
“Justin Bieber playing songs from his laptop on stage while Sabrina Carpenter delivered multiple outfit changes, visuals, choreography and vocals. These pictures speak louder than words,” one criticized.
Another commented below the post and said the set was a reflection of the “double standard” women face in the music industry. “Men are allowed to be mediocre while women have to be EVERYTHING,” the X user wrote.
A third said Bieber choosing to play songs based on what popped up on YouTube was “messy and sloppy.”
Despite the split feedback, the singer’s performance still captivated fans in the audience and online.
A clip from the end of his set shared a day after the show has already reached 122 million views, by far the most out of any performer Coachella has posted on its Instagram so far.
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