Justin Bieber’s $10M Coachella performance receives backlash

Singer and songwriter Justin Bieber’s highly awaited Coachella set leaves fans and critics divided over his performance at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, on 11 April.

Bieber took the stage, headlining his set with his latest “SWAG” album tracks such as “All I Can Take,” “Speed Demon,” and “First Place,” among others.

After 13 songs, the vibe shifted into a more laid-back, retrospective tone, with Bieber sitting on a stool in front of a laptop on a table.

"Tonight is such a special night. I feel like we gotta take you guys on a bit of a journey. Do you guys remember this song?” Bieber said.

He pulled up old music videos, giving the audience a trip down memory lane through his music tracks “Beauty and a Beat,” “Baby,” “Never Say Never,” among others, while singing along with his younger self.

However, some criticized the pop star’s performance, calling it the “worst performance,” and comparing it to Sabrina Carpenter’s set, which was widely praised for her vibrant stage presence, impressive vocals, and magnetic energy, as she delivered a stunning performance with her trending tracks “Taste,” “Manchild,” “Please Please Please,” among others.

Some fans said that male mediocrity privilege is real, stating that his performance had zero effort, just pure laziness.

"Justin Bieber being the most paid artist by Coachella, and he offered a performance with literally no work, no budget, and some people are praising him," a person wrote on X.

Despite the criticism, a lot of people praised the artist for his stripped-down performance, noting that Justin Bieber, who rose to fame as a globally recognized child star with hit songs like “Baby” and “Sorry,” opted for a simpler performance, which is a personal approach to the stage.

"These 8 minutes of Justin Bieber singing his old songs, I'm going to treasure them in my heart for the rest of my life. Thank you, Justin. Thank you,” a fan wrote.

Another fan wrote that Bieber didn’t need a high production set or multiple outfit changes to put on a good show. “All you need is pure talent. LEGEND,” it wrote.

Throughout his career, Bieber has expressed his vulnerability and mental struggles through multiple posts on social media and songs such as “Lonely,” “Ghost,” “Changes,” among others.

“This show felt like it was made for the real OG beliebers,” a fan account wrote.

For many fans, the show was more of a nostalgic history of Bieber's journey, successes, and failures than a traditional Coachella performance set with intricate choreography and wardrobe changes, while other supporters said the pop star is finally “healing his inner child.”

Bieber is set to return to the stage on the 18th for another performance, with fans anticipating which direction he will take for his second set appearance.

Do you think Justin Bieber’s stripped-down, nostalgia-focused Coachella set was a bold creative choice or a disappointing headlining performance?