Justin Bieber’s headlining set at Coachella has split audiences sharply online. As detailed by LADbible, the 32-year-old took the stage for the first time as a Coachella headliner after years away from the spotlight, performing a mix of recent hits and nostalgic favorites including Stay and Never Say Never.
The performance kicked off with Bieber in a casual outfit of shorts, a hoodie, and shades. The tone shifted when he sat at a desk at center stage and opened a MacBook to browse his own YouTube channel, playing clips of himself falling off a stage, walking into a glass door as a teenager, and getting into altercations with paparazzi. He also played the classic deez nuts meme for the crowd.
The setup was part of a larger interactive approach. By live-streaming the performance directly from the stage, Bieber allowed the YouTube chat to vote on his setlist in real-time, letting fans at home help shape the show as it happened.
Letting the internet run your setlist is either a bold experiment or a cautionary tale, depending on who you ask
Reaction on social media was swift and polarized. Critics called it the worst performance in the event’s history, pointing to the lack of production value, outfit changes, and backup dancers. One commenter wrote that 100,000 people had paid to watch a man browse his own channel. The criticism was widespread among viewers who expected the polished, high-energy spectacle typical of a major festival headliner.
Supporters, however, defended the set as an intentional and personal moment. These fans pointed to Bieber’s extended absence from live performance due to significant health struggles, including Ramsay Hunt syndrome, a condition caused by the varicella-zoster virus that can result in facial paralysis, hearing loss, and vertigo, as detailed by the Mayo Clinic.
For those fans, his return to a stage of that scale was itself the event, regardless of format. Amid the broader conversation around high-profile artists navigating public comebacks, Kanye’s UK festival ban also drew renewed attention this week after the UK government barred him from performing at Wireless Festival.
One supporter wrote that seeing the artist be fully himself, intimate, and happy was everything they had wanted, adding that his vocals alone were worth the night. For this camp, the laptop and the live chat were features, not failures. The divide between the two sides is stark: one prioritizes spectacle, the other prioritizes the artist’s presence.
Whether bringing a laptop on stage and handing setlist control to an online chat reads as a tech-forward way to connect with fans or a misstep for a headlining slot, it is a performance that has kept people talking well past Sunday morning. A Euphoria star’s Delta flight removal also made headlines on the same day, after ICE detained her before she could board. Representatives for Justin Bieber have not provided further comment on the feedback surrounding the show.
Published: Apr 12, 2026 06:45 am