Justin Bieber headlines Coachella with nostalgia-fuelled set
The star spent much of the gig singing along to YouTube videos of early hits like Baby and Never say Never.
www.bbc.comHere’s the latest on Justin Bieber at Coachella:
- Bieber headlined Coachella on the second weekend (April 18, 2026) with an 11:25 pm start time on the Coachella Stage, following other acts earlier in the evening. This was his first Coachella headlining slot and marked a high-profile live return after years away from major touring.[1]
- Coverage highlights include a nostalgic YouTube detour during the set, where he played clips and moments from early hits, which became a notable talking point of the show.[8][10]
- Reactions to the performance were mixed in some outlets, with discussions about the stagecraft and the nature of the set (some critics noted perceived over-reliance on video segments or YouTube clips) while others celebrated the comeback and return of new material to the stage.[4][10]
Illustration of typical Coachella timing for this year:
- Weekend 1: Bieber headlined Saturday night with an after-midnight ending set, following other headliners and festival acts.[1]
- Weekend 2: Bieber repeated as headliner with a similar late-night slot, continuing the festival’s two-weekend format this year.[1]
If you’d like, I can pull a quick recap of setlist highlights, notable guests, and crowd reactions from multiple outlets and compile a compact pros/cons view of the performance.