Justin Bieber draws massive crowds at Coachella, gig falls short of expectations

Justin Bieber's Coachella headline attracted a record crowd, but the show did not meet expectations. Observers at the festival reported that the singer rehearsed older tracks during soundchecks, leaving the actual performance lineup uncertain.

In Short

• Justin Bieber attracted one of Coachella’s largest ever audiences
• His set featured mostly mid-tempo and acoustic songs without elaborate production
• The show ended with fireworks but lacked the expected high-energy impact

Justin Bieber headlined this year’s Coachella on Saturday, drawing one of the largest crowds in the festival’s history. Known as a frequent visitor and audience member at the desert event, Bieber has long been a top choice for its predominantly millennial attendees.

The size of Bieber’s audience was notable, possibly the largest ever on the Coachella field, extending nearly to the ferris wheel, as reported by Rolling Stone. This was attributed to a combination of limited recent releases, with his last US tour in 2022, heightened anticipation, and a lack of competing acts at the same time, the report mentioned.

Bieber arranged his own headlining slot, sparking much speculation about his setlist. Prior to the festival, he performed two small shows in Los Angeles featuring songs from his latest albums, Swag and Swag II. Observers at the festival reported that he rehearsed older tracks during soundchecks, leaving the actual performance content uncertain.

The show itself was relatively straightforward and did not match the level of excitement surrounding it, though it avoided the difficulties experienced by Frank Ocean at Coachella in 2023, according to Rolling Stone. Bieber performed mostly alone on a large stage without elaborate production, delivering mid-tempo pop songs like First Place and ballads such as All the Way.

Some fans found the pace slow, especially after a guest appearance by the Kid Laroi on Stay. Later, Bieber added two guitarists and played deeper acoustic cuts, which led to some audience members leaving mid-set.

When revisiting his earlier work, Bieber incorporated old low-resolution videos from nearly two decades ago, including hits like Baby and I’m the One, the Rolling Stone report claimed. The set appeared to falter momentarily when he displayed paparazzi footage and viral clips, but he recovered with a series of collaborations featuring Dijon on Devotion, Tems on I Think You’re Special, Wizkid on Essence, and Mk gee on Daisies.

The performance drew to a close with a firework display, and while the spectacle met with a positive reception from many in attendance, the set struggled to maintain the high-stakes momentum typically expected of a major festival headliner. Bieber missed to make a significant mark on a stage and event important to him, but did not fully capitalise on it. Despite this, the set offered moments of connection for his most dedicated listeners, as reported by Rolling Stone.

In summary, Bieber’s Coachella headline drew a massive crowd, but the performance itself was seen as modest and did not entirely meet the high anticipation surrounding it.

- Ends