Justin Bieber Favors ‘Swag’ Songs in a Minimalist Coachella Set, but Also Revisits His ‘Baby’-Hood, Bingeing on Old YouTube Clips
Talk about going from one extreme to another. However extravagant and maximalist Sabrina Carpenter’s production was for her headlining set at Coachella Friday, that’s how minimal and barely-there Justin Bieber‘s staging and musical design were for his night-capping show on Saturday. It definitely felt like Personal Time With Justin, as he is in 2026, with few initial distractions from his one-man “Swag” show in the way of luxuries like elaborate sets, oldies or other humans.
It did turn out to be a more multi-faceted show than it looked to be at first. Most fascinating was a trip down memory lane that found the singer alone on stage at a desk, with a laptop — a boy and his MacBook — spontaneously looking up old videos to sing along with, in the only part of the hour-and-a-half set that brought in any catalog material. If you ever thought it was fun to binge old Justin Bieber clips, well, so has Justin Bieber. He did just that for a decent chunk of Saturday’s show, to the delight of fans who otherwise were worried they wouldn’t get anything predating “Daisies.”
Yes, it really was that meta: Bieber was Bieb-scrolling through YouTube while he was on YouTube. (The late-night livestream was being watched by many hundreds of thousands more viewers than were in attendance in Indio.) It’s difficult to recall any other performance by a major artist that included a chunk of the set being devoted to real-time internet video self-karaoke, to the point that spinning balls popped up and dodgy wifi connections were noted. Was it self-indulgent? Absolutely. Also fairly endearing? That, too, partly because it gave us a Bieber who was being completely off the cuff, but also because this was his way of being generous to the fans by offering them a decent dose of nostalgia, in lieu of actually orienting his set toward oldies instead of the new material he wanted to do. It was a charming compromise for Coachella, even if it’s not something you’d want to see him do on a tour every night.
And eventually the human population on-stage did grow. He was joined by a pair of guitarists for an acoustic segment on the B-stage (which was only yards away from the A-stage, in keeping with the not-overly-showy design). The Kid Laroi came out for the first celebrity cameo, reprising the hit duet that came out under his banner “Stay.” Very late in the proceedings — which is to say, early in the morning — Tems emerged for their sweet “Swag” song, “I Think You’re Special,” and then the duo became a trio with the addition of Wizkid for “Essence.” The final guest, Mk.gee, appeared at the rear lip of the stage to personally recreate his fuzzy electric guitar part for the closer, “Daisies.”
This was a show that Bieber seemed to pull out of the bag after a first stretch that didn’t totally galvanize the audience, live or on the web. The comments section on the YouTube livestream was full of anxiety and dissatisfaction: “He is serving vocals but it’s still way too chill for a headliner show.” “Shameful performance, no dancing, no production set, embarrassing.” Those were the kind of responses met with a defense from the faithful: “Omg guys, he’s gonna sing his old songssss, wait for it!!!!” (Fans had reason to believe — or Belieb — that the catalog hits would come, given that there were widespread reports they were being heard at soundcheck… although everyone may now wonder if what was heard was the testing out of YouTube connections.)
On the minus side, Bieber seemed to be kind of hiding out in his peachy hoodie during the first half-hour of the show, the part that had him opening with 11 songs from his 2025″Swag” and “Swag II” albums and not much to look at except his partially obscured head. But maybe you could have guessed that this was part of a very slow striptease that would have him removing the hood mid-set, then eventually getting down to a T-shirt. (He never did go shirtless, the way he did at his recent Roxy warmup show.) His vocals, at least, were warm and flawless, though. And the “Swag” albums, especially the first one, were largely built on the feel of an easygoing after-hours jam among the singer and a few musician friends. So actually hearing this material after hours (the show started at 11:30 p.m. PT/2:30 a.m. ET) felt like form meeting function.
After the Kid Laroi guest number switched things up a bit about a half-hour in, he was joined by those two guitarists for an approximately 20-minute acoustic set, which really got everyone relaxed (and/or antsy, in the case of those still uneasy at the resistance to oldies).
And then came his not-soon-to-be-forgotten laptop interlude, in which, for almost 25 minutes, he was about nothing but memories. This, for many viewers, was their swag for the evening, getting to hear Bieber acknowledge and even pipe up along with songs like “Baby.” His rendition of that breakout hit was not that much longer than the fleeting cover Geese had affectionately done in one of the tents earlier in the day, but it was just enough. He sang bits and pieces of other numbers that he has not performed on a stage in more than a decade, like “Favorite Girl,” “That Should Be Me” and “Beauty and a Beat,” among others. He searched, and found, video clips of Mini-Justin finding internet fame with his homespun covers of Chris Brown and Ne-Yo songs.
He also included some non-musical clips in his nostalgic trip: “This is me walking into a glass door… Yep. Did not see that glass there.” And then, his 2025 rant at the paparazzi, parts of which he spoke along with, from memory. “You don’t think I’m a real guy”… Bieber knows, a greatest hit is a greatest hit.
Finally, he brought out the aforementioned Tems, Wizkid and Mk.gee, joining him in the bowl that was constructed on stage, looking a big like a tilted cat food dish. Tems, in particular, got foregrounded by the video cameras, as the show took a more communal, less solipsistic turn. “Daisies” was a nice note to go out on; longtime fans might’ve preferred an even more venerated closer, but that distorted guitar goes well with 1 a.m. fireworks.
However fans felt about the show — and reactions look to be across the board — it certainly made for an amusing live-comments read. (“The guy forgot about the show and is just having fun on YouTube!” “We’re just doomscrolling with the Biebs rn.” “Bro is just playing memes.” “Justin is giving us the purest most intimate performance and he is pouring out his soul.” And, “It’s good to see Justin smile.” True, dat.) Most of all, it gives folks something to look forward to in the weekend 2 livestreams that will not be a precise rerun. At least, it seems unlikely that he’ll be looking up the same clips, if that segment is repeated.
Katy Perry reacts to Justin Bieber using YouTube during his Coachella set:“Thank God he has Premium. I don’t wanna see no ads.” pic.twitter.com/LW4ELOx8YO
This isn’t the “Eras”-style career recap some fans were hoping for. Whatever fee he got for being a headliner, no one will accuse him of putting it all back into the production. And how the unusual nature of this set bodes for how a future return to touring might unfold remains uncertain. But charm and chops go a long way. Once he showed his face and deigned to actually beam, it was clear that four years of avoiding public live performance have done nothing to put a ding in his charisma.
It did turn out to be a more multi-faceted show than it looked to be at first. Most fascinating was a trip down memory lane that found the singer alone on stage at a desk, with a laptop — a boy and his MacBook — spontaneously looking up old videos to sing along with, in the only part of the hour-and-a-half set that brought in any catalog material. If you ever thought it was fun to binge old Justin Bieber clips, well, so has Justin Bieber. He did just that for a decent chunk of Saturday’s show, to the delight of fans who otherwise were worried they wouldn’t get anything predating “Daisies.”
Yes, it really was that meta: Bieber was Bieb-scrolling through YouTube while he was on YouTube. (The late-night livestream was being watched by many hundreds of thousands more viewers than were in attendance in Indio.) It’s difficult to recall any other performance by a major artist that included a chunk of the set being devoted to real-time internet video self-karaoke, to the point that spinning balls popped up and dodgy wifi connections were noted. Was it self-indulgent? Absolutely. Also fairly endearing? That, too, partly because it gave us a Bieber who was being completely off the cuff, but also because this was his way of being generous to the fans by offering them a decent dose of nostalgia, in lieu of actually orienting his set toward oldies instead of the new material he wanted to do. It was a charming compromise for Coachella, even if it’s not something you’d want to see him do on a tour every night.
And eventually the human population on-stage did grow. He was joined by a pair of guitarists for an acoustic segment on the B-stage (which was only yards away from the A-stage, in keeping with the not-overly-showy design). The Kid Laroi came out for the first celebrity cameo, reprising the hit duet that came out under his banner “Stay.” Very late in the proceedings — which is to say, early in the morning — Tems emerged for their sweet “Swag” song, “I Think You’re Special,” and then the duo became a trio with the addition of Wizkid for “Essence.” The final guest, Mk.gee, appeared at the rear lip of the stage to personally recreate his fuzzy electric guitar part for the closer, “Daisies.”
This was a show that Bieber seemed to pull out of the bag after a first stretch that didn’t totally galvanize the audience, live or on the web. The comments section on the YouTube livestream was full of anxiety and dissatisfaction: “He is serving vocals but it’s still way too chill for a headliner show.” “Shameful performance, no dancing, no production set, embarrassing.” Those were the kind of responses met with a defense from the faithful: “Omg guys, he’s gonna sing his old songssss, wait for it!!!!” (Fans had reason to believe — or Belieb — that the catalog hits would come, given that there were widespread reports they were being heard at soundcheck… although everyone may now wonder if what was heard was the testing out of YouTube connections.)
On the minus side, Bieber seemed to be kind of hiding out in his peachy hoodie during the first half-hour of the show, the part that had him opening with 11 songs from his 2025″Swag” and “Swag II” albums and not much to look at except his partially obscured head. But maybe you could have guessed that this was part of a very slow striptease that would have him removing the hood mid-set, then eventually getting down to a T-shirt. (He never did go shirtless, the way he did at his recent Roxy warmup show.) His vocals, at least, were warm and flawless, though. And the “Swag” albums, especially the first one, were largely built on the feel of an easygoing after-hours jam among the singer and a few musician friends. So actually hearing this material after hours (the show started at 11:30 p.m. PT/2:30 a.m. ET) felt like form meeting function.
After the Kid Laroi guest number switched things up a bit about a half-hour in, he was joined by those two guitarists for an approximately 20-minute acoustic set, which really got everyone relaxed (and/or antsy, in the case of those still uneasy at the resistance to oldies).
And then came his not-soon-to-be-forgotten laptop interlude, in which, for almost 25 minutes, he was about nothing but memories. This, for many viewers, was their swag for the evening, getting to hear Bieber acknowledge and even pipe up along with songs like “Baby.” His rendition of that breakout hit was not that much longer than the fleeting cover Geese had affectionately done in one of the tents earlier in the day, but it was just enough. He sang bits and pieces of other numbers that he has not performed on a stage in more than a decade, like “Favorite Girl,” “That Should Be Me” and “Beauty and a Beat,” among others. He searched, and found, video clips of Mini-Justin finding internet fame with his homespun covers of Chris Brown and Ne-Yo songs.
He also included some non-musical clips in his nostalgic trip: “This is me walking into a glass door… Yep. Did not see that glass there.” And then, his 2025 rant at the paparazzi, parts of which he spoke along with, from memory. “You don’t think I’m a real guy”… Bieber knows, a greatest hit is a greatest hit.
Finally, he brought out the aforementioned Tems, Wizkid and Mk.gee, joining him in the bowl that was constructed on stage, looking a big like a tilted cat food dish. Tems, in particular, got foregrounded by the video cameras, as the show took a more communal, less solipsistic turn. “Daisies” was a nice note to go out on; longtime fans might’ve preferred an even more venerated closer, but that distorted guitar goes well with 1 a.m. fireworks.
However fans felt about the show — and reactions look to be across the board — it certainly made for an amusing live-comments read. (“The guy forgot about the show and is just having fun on YouTube!” “We’re just doomscrolling with the Biebs rn.” “Bro is just playing memes.” “Justin is giving us the purest most intimate performance and he is pouring out his soul.” And, “It’s good to see Justin smile.” True, dat.) Most of all, it gives folks something to look forward to in the weekend 2 livestreams that will not be a precise rerun. At least, it seems unlikely that he’ll be looking up the same clips, if that segment is repeated.
Katy Perry reacts to Justin Bieber using YouTube during his Coachella set:“Thank God he has Premium. I don’t wanna see no ads.” pic.twitter.com/LW4ELOx8YO
This isn’t the “Eras”-style career recap some fans were hoping for. Whatever fee he got for being a headliner, no one will accuse him of putting it all back into the production. And how the unusual nature of this set bodes for how a future return to touring might unfold remains uncertain. But charm and chops go a long way. Once he showed his face and deigned to actually beam, it was clear that four years of avoiding public live performance have done nothing to put a ding in his charisma.