Coachella is one of the largest music festivals in the world, with each year having three major artists to headline the festival for two weekends. This year the headliners were Sabrina Carpenter, Justin Bieber, and Karol G. All of these are very talented, exciting artists, but many fans were ecstatic for Justin Bieber. These past weekends, Bieber performed his set, and not only did this “break the internet”, but it also brought together fans worldwide.
Bieber’s crowd had thousands of fans waiting hours before his set had even started. Bieber was rumored to be performing some of his oldest hits, going as far back as a decade. It is assumed that Bieber may never tour again, seeing as how he has notably shifted his priorities to his family life,so this may have just been the last time for true fans to not only see him, but to see him play his biggest songs. Fans waited for hours to get a chance to see him in the front row. Since Bieber’s last performance was years ago, the anticipation for this performance was immense. Nobody had any idea on what to expect.
“Even as not a huge Belieber, this was all over my for you page and I couldn’t escape it. I even started getting antsy to see what his performance might be like,” Diana Ayala Mejia (‘28) said.
When the hours finally came, thousands upon thousands of people had arrived to see his set, screaming and chanting, ready for his arrival. When Bieber came out, many were shocked to see what the stage was like. The stage wasn’t packed with props and dancers; instead, it was just a huge screen, a chair, a desk, and a computer on which Bieber was. Bieber had connected the big screen to his computer and started pulling up his music videos to sing along to.
Bieber’s full Coachella set was fully relying on a big screen and a computer. Many had different opinions, but overall, everyone loved it. People loved how intimate it was and how it really felt like Bieber was back. He had always had to have these extravagant concerts, which he was extremely overworked at a young age for. So seeing him on a big stage, pouring his heart through the microphone with just a computer and his fans, was something that pulled at everyone’s heart.
“This performance couldn’t be compared to any other. His raw authenticity just shows how far he has come, from a teenage pop star who was overworked and taken advantage of by the industry, to a grown man who just wants to sing because he loves it,” Mircea Wagner (‘26) said.
Though people don’t know if they will ever see Bieber back on tour, fans believe they have seen something even better. To see someone who had gotten so hurt by the industry at such a young age rise up and do what they love will beat anything. His fans are nonetheless happy, and Bieber seems to be happy too. Though Coachella 2026 ended, it’ll be one of the Coachellas that many will remember in their hearts.