Justin Bieber’s 2026 Coachella set has fans talking… but not quite for the right reasons.
The pop singer brought his sprawling catalogue of hits to the desert in Indio, California to headline Coachella on Saturday night, but passed on any big, showy, choreographed performances. Instead of bringing the house down with a series of extravagant set pieces, costume changes, backup dances, and all the bells and whistles Sabrina Carpenter included in her own headlining performance on Friday, the Baby singer opted for a more stripped-down, casual approach. It was him, his loungewear, and his laptop against the world!
The 32-year-old started off by singing a series of bops from his 2025 album SWAG II before turning things over to the fans to “help” select which of hits she should perform. Walking over to his laptop, which was screen sharing a fan live chat, he said into his microphone:
“So many beautiful faces in the audience tonight. We got a lot of people at home also watching. You know, they’re in their living room, in their bedroom — what’s going on, guys? How you guys doing at home? I was thinking maybe you guys could help me with the songs tonight, maybe help pick your favorites? Tell me a song you guys want to hear tonight and maybe, just maybe, we’ll play it.”
Later in his performance, Justin sat down in front of the laptop, which was still screen sharing, to surf YouTube. He pulled up several of his old performances and music videos and sang along to them while seated! And fans have OPINIONS!
Related: Sabrina Carpenter Apologizes After Backlash Over Calling Cultural Cheer ‘Weird’ During Coachella Performance!
On X (Twitter), users rushed in to criticize the “lazy” performance:
“I’m crying this might actually be the worst performance i’ve ever seen. He’s literally just playing music videos from youtube… zero effort, just pure laziness. #coachella”
“Why is Justin Bieber asking the stream to pick a song for him is there no setlist this is so messy and sloppy where are the backup dancers ??? Where’s the production wtf is this mess who let him headline ???#bieberchella”
“Justin Bieber at Coachella playing songs directly from YouTube and complaining about the WiFi..”
“I get the artistry of it, but this is not appropriate for a late night at Coachella main headliner thousands and thousands of people waiting in the freezing cold and wind to be entertained and paid so much money he missed the point here.”
“The way y’all let male performers get away with mediocre and lazy ass performances”
“i’m sorry but if a female artist performed like this she would get dragged”
Others took aim at the singer’s reported $10 MILLION payday for the performance — the highest payday for any artist in Coachella history, topping both Beyoncé and Lady GaGa, who earned $8 million each for their extravagant sets in years past, and Sabrina, who reportedly earned $5 million on Friday:
“what the hell is justin bieber doing bro you’re telling me he was the highest paid to do this bulls**t?”
“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. #Coachella”
“If Sabrina Carpenter did what Justin Bieber is doing right now, her career would be over”
“Justin’s Coachella set is a prime example of how women have to work harder than men in the music industry. Sabrina Carpenter gave it her all last night, while Justin Bieber is putting on a snoozefest with his Swag songs.”
“If a female artist ever performed like this she would get cancelled”
“The difference in performance quality is actually insane. You’re telling me Justin Bieber is the highest-paid artist at Coachella, and this is what he delivers? Male artists really do get away with anything when it comes to performances — and more. I’ve seen people dragging Addison Rae for not being ready as a pre-headliner, yet the actual headliner is doing the absolute bare minimum and getting a pass… and some of y’all are always ready to defend these men”
Even other celebs had opinions… Katy Perry, who was in the audience with boyfriend Justin Trudeau, at one point reacted to J.B. casually surfing YouTube:
“Thank God he has Premium. I don’t wanna see no ads.”
See on the third Instagram slide (below):
HA!
Zara Larsson also took to TikTok to react to the performance:
“It’s giving smoke and watch YouTube”
@zaralarsson He’s in my dream blunt rotation
Yeesh! But while there were several detractors, Justin was defended by some of his fiercest fans:
“Y’all need to realize how symbolic this performance was. He reclaimed his artistry. Sang with his younger self. Big F-U to the industry that tried to destroy him. He looked happy and healthy and it was a 10/10 performance imo.”
“Justin Bieber absolutely ended Sabrina Carpenter. You don’t need High Production set or 10 outfit changes to put on a good show. All you need is pure talent. LEGEND.”
“Justin Bieber currently has a laptop set up on the Coachella main stage, pulling up his own YouTube videos and basically karaokeing whatever comes to mind from his searches. No setlist — just whatever he finds on YouTube. A few videos have even had to buffer. Honestly…kind of incredible to watch.”
“The crowd went CRAZY for beauty and a beat NO ONE IS TOUCHING JUSTIN BIEBER LEVELS”
“Justin Bieber really delivered the Greatest performance in Coachella History !! His set was beyond sensational”
What are YOUR thoughts on Justin’s performance, Perezcious readers?? Be sure to let us know in the comments down below!
