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| Getty Images |
Justin Bieber made a nostalgia-fuelled return to the major stage as Coachella's much-anticipated headline act.
The 32-year-old delighting the audience in apparent homage to the platform on which he was first discovered spent the majority of Saturday night's performance sitting in front of a laptop and singing to YouTube music videos of his older hits like "Baby" and "Never Say Never." Additionally, he appeared to interact with the live comments on the YouTube stream of his set and played some of the home videos that had brought him to the attention of the industry when he was 12 years old. It was the star's biggest live performance in four years after his Justice world tour was canceled due to health issues. He opened the gig alone on an otherwise empty stage, performing tracks from his 2025 albums Swag and Swag II - before telling the crowd he wanted to take them "on a journey" and reaching back into his archive.
He asked the audience repeatedly, "How far back do you go?" Additionally, Bieber played a video in which he confronted a photographer and stated, "It's not clocking to you, I'm standing on business," which sparked speculation about his mental state and helped him become the most popular person on the internet. Dressed in a hoodie and shorts on a stripped-back stage, Bieber was joined by musical guests including The Kid Laroi, Wizkid, Tems and Dijon.
READ MORE : Coachella kicks off with Sabrina Carpenter and surprise guests
The star's wife Hailey Bieber was spotted in the crowd, alongside celebrity couple Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner.
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| Some waited in the desert heat dressed in purple, the colour once adopted by the star's fans known as 'Beliebers'(Image: Getty Images) |
Bieber cancelled his world tour after revealing he was suffering from facial paralysis, after being diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt syndrome - a complication from contracting shingles - in 2022.
He released his surprise album Swag in July 2025, and in February performed live at the Grammy Awards.
His Coachella set marked a starker departure from the previous night's headline act, Sabrina Carpenter, whose Hollywood-themed gig included costume changes, choreography and elaborate stage design.
Colombian pop star Karol G will be Sunday's headliner at the festival, which takes place over two weekends in the California desert.
It draws more than 100,000 people daily, according to police from the city of Indio, and has been running at Indio's Empire Polo Club since 2002.
Source: BBC
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