Justin Bieber returned to the stage for the first time in four years. He performed on Saturday, April 11, at Coachella. However, the "Baby" singer's performance has left fans split. Biber opted to spend some of his stage time sitting on a stool in the middle of the stage, streaming some of his greatest hits on YouTube.
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He did, of course, perform along with them.
However, while some fans have called his performance "artistic" or "creative," others have branded him "lazy," especially as he reportedly pocketed $10 million for his time on stage.
"The f***ing secondhand embarrassment it gives me that you're the highest-paid artist in Coachella history and you couldn't give less of a sh*t about absolutely everything, you show up on stage in a ratty hoodie and play background videos from a laptop like this is some dive bar in Cuenca," one user wrote on X.
"I'm crying, this might actually be the worst performance I've ever seen," another user posted. "He's literally just playing music videos from YouTube... zero effort, just pure laziness."
However, some music fans enjoyed the juxtaposition of Bieber's performance. After all, he did spend half of his set putting on the type of show you would come to expect. Therefore, the second half of his set provided quite the contrast.
"Justin already proved what he's got up on a stage with dancers, lights, and choreographies; now he just gets up there and enjoys it. It's him and his incredible voice," a user pointed out on X. "This was an intimate show for the Beliebers—the connection with the audience was beautiful."
Katy Perry Said What We Were All Thinking About Justin Bieber's Performance
The beauty of music festivals is that fans and musicians alike are often in the crowd. In a video that has since gone viral, Katy Perry can be seen taking in Bieber's performance among the countless others in attendance.
During the video, she made a comment that essentially spoke for everyone watching, both in the crowd and at home.
"Thank god he has [YouTube] Premium," Perry says in the video. "I don't wanna see no ads."
If Bieber had chosen to run the YouTube segment of his set with basic YouTube, and the crowd was forced to watch ads, they probably would have lost it. Fortunately, that wasn't the case.
So, while opinion on his production was clearly split, it was great to see him back on stage doing what he loves. That alone was a win, both for Bieber and the music industry at large.
