For his first time headlining Coachella, at the Empire Polo Club, Justin Bieber surprisingly chose to look at his past rather than put on a big show. He combined his earlier music with what he’s doing now, and turned the main stage slot into a time for him to think about his own life and work. People saw him going back to the videos that made him famous online, and also playing newer songs from Swag and Swag II.
A nostalgia-driven return to the main stage
He really focused on the story of how he became famous: those videos he put online as a teenager, and becoming well-known through the internet. He showed those low quality clips from his first videos, and showed them at the same time as his newer, very good recordings. Because of this, the show felt like a journey, not like a typical loud and energetic festival event.
This was his first time being the headliner at Coachella, and it followed some health problems in 2022 which stopped him from going on tour. Everyone was really looking forward to it and the crowd went very far across the field. For a lot of the people who were there, the show was both a return to performing and a quiet, thoughtful look at more than ten years in the music business.
Stripped-back production and digital storytelling
Instead of a huge, complicated stage, Bieber kept things very simple. He mostly stood by himself with a laptop and a few musicians, and preferred to create a close, personal feeling over fireworks and lights. This simpler style made his voice and the feelings in the songs more important.
Old video of him, and projections of younger versions of himself, gave the performance a touching quality. At one point, a picture of his teenage self appeared to be singing with him, and the crowd loudly applauded and showed their feelings. He used these digital images to respect the websites that launched his career.
Setlist choices and contrasting phases
The songs flowed easily from one time period to another. Big hits from early in his career, Baby and Beauty and a Beat, were played with more recent songs like First Place and All the Way. Slower, mid-tempo pop songs were mixed with quieter, acoustic sections, making the show thoughtful and sometimes a little slow.
Bieber also played some songs that aren’t as well known, and had guitar versions of them that showed how much his voice has improved. Some people at the festival liked the small details, but others wanted a more exciting, popular collection of songs and left before the last songs were played.
Guest turns and global collaborations
When other musicians joined him on stage, the performance got a boost. The Kid LAROI appeared with Bieber for Stay, and briefly increased the energy. Wizkid and Tems, with their Afrobeat and R&B styles, added an international flavor to songs like Essence and I Think Youre Special.
Dijon and Mk gee were also on stage with him for songs they worked on together, which showed Bieber’s many influences and the people he’s worked with recently. These parts of the show showed he’s a pop star, but also someone who works with musicians from lots of different types of music.
Audience reaction, criticism, and lasting impact
People had very different opinions. Fans who have liked his music for a long time praised how honest and nostalgic it was. They thought he was a thoughtful artist who accepted where he came from and is happy with his music now. Social media was full of clips of the image projections and the other artists who came on stage.
Music critics and some of the people at the show felt the performance didn’t give you enough for a headliner at a festival. The simple style and careful speed of the show meant it didn’t have the big, exciting feeling many people want at a major festival. But, the performance did have some moments people will remember and created a real connection with his biggest fans.
Where this set leaves Bieber going forward
Justin Bieber used his Coachella headlining spot to clearly tell a story: how he’s grown, how he’s willing to be vulnerable, and how his art has remained consistent. His decision to not use a huge production suggests that he may prefer to tell more personal stories than to have grand, showy performances in the future.
He will either go back to doing large tours, or continue to do things this way, but his Coachella performance will be something people talk about. It showed he’s still important in popular culture and reminded people that the fact he became famous from videos on the internet is still a central part of who he is as an artist.
