Marking his official comeback after ending his 2022 “Justice World Tour” early due to health complications, Justin Bieber brought energy and excitement to Coachella in the most minimalistic way possible, yet still captivating the audience throughout both weekends. The 2010 popstar has always been known for his high-energy performances that blend choreographed dance routines with his upbeat, teen-driven music. However, over time, his music has become more of a self-reflection and a way to display his vocal skills.
During his Coachella performance, Bieber used his Macbook Pro to project old Youtube music videos and recordings on the stage. Without any insane choreography or planned performances, Bieber simply sang along with his old videos captivating the crowd with his minimalistic approach. Some believe he did this as a way to perform his old songs after selling his music catalog to Hipgnosis Songs Capital in January 2023. Others saw it as a nostalgic choice to revisit his career beginnings and reflect on his upbringing to fame.
Bieber retraced back to his roots playing songs like “Baby,” “Never Say Never,” “Beauty and a Beat” and more. His “Youtube karaoke” inspired segment allowed fans to reconnect with the version of Bieber that started it all. It allowed the crowd to not only sing along with the Justin many know and love now, but also allow him to sing along with his younger self. Bieber shared with the crowd the struggle to compile all of his discography in only two shows. His main goal for his headlining performance was to share his musical journey with the crowd while also making it an enjoyable experience for everyone.
“The beautiful thing about this journey, y’know, is that we all kind of grew up together” Bieber said.
Back in Bieber’s early 2010s prime, a key segment of his concerts was his “One Less Lonely Girl” fan feature. At every show, Justin would pick a fan out of the crowd to come on stage and be his “One Less Lonely Girl” for the night. The lucky girl would then be brought on stage and directed to a chair, where Justin would sing the whole song to her. During weekend two at Coachella, the intro of the song started to play and that same “Bieber Fever” emerged like it was 2010 again. Fans wondered if he would choose a lucky girl out of the crowd to keep the same nostalgic theme up. Some assumed he would bring up his wife, Hailey Bieber, to share the song with.
At the edge of the stage Hailey was seen singing along with famous singer, Billie Eilish. Just as Justin approached them to pick his “One Less Lonely Girl,” Hailey pushed for Eilish to join Justin on stage. Eilish then trampled onto the stage in disbelief, living out her “Belieber” dreams. Hailey’s selflessness shows how truly important it is to fans to share that special moment with Justin.
Justin also featured a numerous amount of guest performers throughout his set. The Kid LAROI joined Bieber to sing their hit collab song “Stay.” Other artists like SZA and Sexxy Red made appearances on stage with Bieber. However, the fan favorite of the two weekends was Big Sean who joined Bieber to sing the nostalgic hit “As Long As You Love Me.” Their blast from the past performance not only surprised fans, but continued that same theme of reminiscing Bieber’s early days.
