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Kevin Mazur / Getty Images for Coachella (@gettyentertainment)
Justin Bieber
Concerts
The Strokes, Geese, Addison Rae and Katy Perry Caught Justin Bieber Fever at Coachella 2026
The Canadian singer’s headlining set drew comments and covers from many in attendance at the festival's first weekend.
26m
At Coachella, everyone had Bieber fever.
Over the weekend, Justin Bieber took the stage for his first-ever headline set at the major music festival. While the homegrown singer has been a surprise performer over the years — most recently joining Tems and Wizkid for their collaborative hit “Essence” in 2024 — Bieber held his own during his Saturday night (April 11) performance, flexing his hold on fans and performers alike.
Ahead of his Coachella performance, Bieber had two intimate shows in early April, exclusively performing hits from his chart-topping album Swag and Swag II infront of fans and celebrity friends at The Roxy and The Troubadour in Los Angeles.
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At the considerably larger Coachella performance, Bieber held the crowd with songs from those albums and a journey through his history. During Bieber’s set, he took fans back in time, going online (literally) to pay homage to the earlier moments that cemented his status as one of Canada’s greatest export artists. “He managed to make a polo field of strangers feel like a late-night hang among close friends,” wrote Billboard’s Lyndsey Havens. That’s exactly the kind of business worth standing on.
Geese, The Strokes and Addison Rae Proved Their Fan Status
No matter what fans thought of the YouTube-assisted performance, the re-emergence of Bieber on the festival stage was treated as a major capital-E Event, and many acts showed their appreciation for the moment.
Geese performed a brief rendition of “Baby," which came as a surprise to many for the buzzy breakout New York rock band.
2000s rock legends The Strokes — scheduled to perform directly before Bieber — joked that they fulfilled their “lifelong dream” of opening for the Canadian star.
TikTok star-turned-pop singer Addison Rae hopped into the crowd during her performance, asking in a bubbly voice, “Here for JB?!” to fans, who were cloaked in purple. Later in her set, Rae joined fans when she put on a purple hoodie for “Headphones On.”
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@varietymagazine #AddisonRae performs “Headphones On” at #Coachella
Bieber’s Performance Exuded Happiness
It’s no secret that Bieber has endured his fair share of trials and tribulations. From run-ins with the law during his teen years to health struggles that have prevented him from touring, it’s momentous that Bieber was able to perform on-stage for his hour-and-a-half set. As he graced the stage in a hoodie, sunglasses, long denim shorts and clunky black boots, he had a cool yet casual sensibility.
He kicked off his set with a string of Swag songs, performing the boundary-setting “All I Can Take,” Go Baby,” an ode to wife and entrepreneur Hailey and expressing his familial vow of commitment on “Walking Away.” Bieber oozed with confidence and was all smiles during his set. His first diversion from the albums came as The Kid LAROI joined him on-stage for their chart-topping hit “Stay.” Bieber bounced around, clearly excited to be performing.
With minimal visuals and a stage resembling a cocoon-like structure for Bieber to walk around, lie down and even shrink into, it was far from the elaborate intricacies of Sabrina Carpenter’s Friday night (April 10) headlining set. Yet, it felt true to the Canadian singer’s current reality. Nearly two decades into his career, Bieber has already played the role of a pop performer, enlisting backup dancers, intense choreography and coordinated outfits to bring his music to life. Now he’s doing things on his terms.
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Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau Attend
“Tonight is such a special night,” Bieber said to the crowd, after wrapping up an acoustic section on the B-stage, which featured Swag hits including “Things You Do,” “Petting Zoo” and “Everything Hallelujah,” with Bieber including a new line, “Coachalla, hallelujah.” Addressing the audience, he hinted at what would come next: “I feel like we gotta take you guys on a bit of a journey,” evoking an echo of cheers from festival goers. Bieber headed back to the main stage, plopped down at a desk and opened up YouTube on a MacBook.
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Arguably, the most divisive element of Bieber’s set, he played clip after clip of his greatest career-launching hits, singing along to snippets of “Baby, “That Should Be Me” and “Never Say Never,” among others, as their music videos filled the screen behind him.
He even brought it back to the video that started his career: the famous “With You” cover. Bieber inevitably went down an internet rabbit hole, pulling up once-viral clips such as “Deez Nuts” and “Double Rainbow” alongside videos of his past self, including last year’s memed clip where he tells paparazzi: “It’s not clocking to you that I’m standing on business.” While Bieber has often not been one to laugh at his public blunders, something was healing about watching him marvel at a 2016 clip of himself falling through the stage while on tour.
Even Katy Perry poked fun at Bieber’s use of YouTube, while attending the festival with boyfriend — and former Canadian Prime Minister — Justin Trudeau: “Thank god he has premium, I don’t wanna see no ads,” she said nonchalantly while chewing gum.
Spotted roaming the grounds, Perry and Trudeau made viral headlines for their appearance at Coachella. The former Prime Minister even found some time to tweet about a regime change in Hungary while checking out bands in the desert.
The Set Was Grounded in ‘Swag’
While Bieber went on a 12-song deep dive of nostalgia, his set was rooted in his most recent releases. Swag saw Bieber leaning into his pop and R&B sensibilities, prioritizing experimental production and instrumentation. It’s a sound he dabbled with on previous releases, but never fully committed to. He worked with longtime collaborator Harv, but the lengthy double album featured new collaborations with songwriters and producers like Dijon, Mk.gee and Carter Lang, known for his work with SZA.
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Bieber filled his set’s final moments with “Yukon,” “Devotion” featuring Dijon, “I Think You’re Special” with Tems, which was followed by “Essence,” in which Wizkid joined the pair on-stage. He concluded with his hit “Daisies,” spotlighting Mk.gee on guitar.
For fans, Bieber’s performance was a celebration of his nearly 20-year career. For Bieber, the set proved to be the big-time reward at the end of a long road that has pulled him in every direction — one that led him from small-town Ontario boy to Coachella’s highest paid headlining act.
Bieber will perform at Weekend 2 of Coachella on April 18.
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