Justin Bieber delivered a performance at Coachella 2026 which was full of improvisations, interactions with live as well as livestream audience, and a laidback approach.
While many Beliebers praised the Grammy winner, 32, for being himself and connecting to the crowd in his signature casual hoodie and shorts, many found fault in him taking a grand scale performance to this level.
The Baby hitmaker reportedly earned a $10 million paycheck for the headline performance and some critics deemed it unworthy for the casual vibe of the entire set.
Bieber began with a few songs from his recently released SWAG albums before he turned to YouTube for his early hits including Baby, STAY, and Sorry, as per fans’ requests.
The Daisies hitmaker scrolled through the YouTube comments in front of fans on a stool upon the stage, in his on-brand fashion.
Aside from the songs, Bieber also paid nod to his viral “standing on business” meme from last year after he put it up on the streaming site.
Bieber continued to earn much applause from fans but on the other hand critics began to slam him on social media, saying, “Not Justin Bieber scammed Coachella out of $10 million to play songs off of YouTube…” and “Justin Bieber giving us one of the laziest performances of all time.”
One wrote, “mind you if a woman did this everybody would be dragging her and calling her lazy but since justin is a guy no one cares.”
However, the others argued, “at this point in his career, he doesn’t really need to do much for his performances to be impactful. the nostalgia alone is enough for people to enjoy it, reminding them of when times were simpler. he was the first youtube superstar, so him playing that in the background is a full circle moment.”
