JUSTIN Bieber took to the stage for his first-ever Coachella headline set – but fans were left divided after he sang along to songs on his laptop.
The celeb-studded desert party kicked off on April 10 and the Go Baby hitmaker was the star of the show on Day Two – yet fans were quick to note his quirky approach.
Justin, 32, followed on from Sabrina Carpenter’s glitzy glam Friday night set with a more low-key offering, appearing on stage at 11:25pm in a peach hoodie, black shorts and boots.
Yet he came armed with his laptop and appeared to be performing his set while searching his tracks on his laptop, letting YouTube choose the algorithm.
He kicked off his set with 2025 track All I Can Take before following it up with Speed Demon and First Place.
He gave a sweet nod to wife Hailey – who made the most of her husband’s “Bieberchella” take-over by hosting her brand Rhode’s first ever desert pop up – with a rendition of track Go Baby.
The tune celebrates the model, businesswoman and mum’s iconic status and references her Rhode brand with the lyrics “lip gloss on it”.
His recent tunes Walking Away and Petting Zoo also took precedence over some of his classic tracks including sorry.
Though the 26-track set, on a stage filled with smoke and a sloping grey stage, did see a spot for 2010 crowd-pleaser Baby and 2021 tune Stay, with The Kid LAROI making a surprise appearance for their duet.
Not to mention a slot for the bubblegum pop tune, Beauty And A Beat.
Referring to his back catalogue he told fans: “Man, tonight is such a special night but I feel like we gotta take you guys on a bit of a journey”.
He proved true to his word when he duetted with a younger version of himself – played out on a huge screen – for track With You.
He also delighted with covers of Neyo’s So Sick and Chris Brown tune With You – the latter of which saw Justin rocket to fame when his initial cover was discovered.
During the set, he praised the “beautiful faces” in the audience and told them “I love you guys so much”.
He also acknowledged the live YouTube audience, urging them to get involved and pick out the songs.
Yet when he tapped away on the laptop, he also experienced a few buffering issues.
After he included some of his best-known tunes into the mix, fans were quick to take to X to show their support.
One wrote on the social media site: “I feel like Justin Bieber is healing his inner child with this Coachella performance right now and it’s genuinely beautiful to see.
“Seeing him look at his younger self with nothing but love?? Like I’ve never seen him this relaxed and happy performing”.
A second posted: “This Justin Bieber set is goated wow”.
A third then wrote: “JUSTIN BIEBER REALLY PLAYED BEAUTY AND A BEAT IRL @ COACHELLA. (I MIGHT’VE CRIED)”
One then surmised: “Justin Bieber is paying himself a tremendous tribute at #Coachella”.
Yet others were left divided, and one put: “‘Justin Bieber headlined Coachella just to not play any of his classics lmao”.
Another mused: “Justin Bieber got paid 10 million just to walk around this damn stage??”
Source : https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/16212279/justin-bieber-coachella-2026-comeback-hailey-hiatus/
