How Justin Bieber got away with a ‘lazy’ Coachella set that saw him ‘paid $10M to skip through songs on a laptop’ while Sabrina Carpenter turned festival into a star-filled show – as fans call out sexist double standards
Three and a half years after he abandoned his 2022 tour due to health concerns, Justin Bieber made his return to the big stage in the desert on Saturday to headline Coachella.
But instead of the big comeback many fans had hoped for, Justin’s performance was branded the ‘worst performance in the festival’s history’.
The 32-year-old singer was reportedly paid $10 million for a headlining gig at the annual festival, but she wasn’t happy with a set that mostly consisted of her belting out tracks she searched for on a laptop.
In contrast, Friday’s headliner Sabrina Carpenter delivered a star-studded set focused on the Hollywood-inspired ‘Sabrinawood’ concept, but reportedly only paid half of Justin’s fee.
Fans are now calling out ‘double standards’ surrounding the treatment of co-stars and claiming sexism in the industry is the reason Justin was able to get away with a low-energy set.
How Justin Bieber got away with a ‘lazy’ Coachella set while ‘being paid $10 million to flip through songs on a laptop’
Many fans questioned why she was being paid such an eye-watering fee and demanded production on par with previous leads like Sabrina Carpenter.
Justin’s highly anticipated comeback at Coachella didn’t sit well with many of his fans as he performed in his hoodie set and streamed songs from his laptop.
Many explained to X: ‘If Sabrina Carpenter did what Justin Bieber is doing right now, his career would be over’,
Justin’s Coachella set is a prime example of how women have to work harder than men in the music industry. Sabrina Carpenter gave it her all last night, while Justin Bieber threw a snooze party to the tunes of Swag’,
‘If Sabrina Carpenter, Addison Rae, Pinkpantheres, Katseye or any of the female artists at Coachella dared to do what Justin Bieber did, you’d all be saying their careers are over.’
‘Justin Bieber is the artist who made the most money performing at Coachella (more than Beyoncé, Lady Gaga and Sabrina) And he gave the worst performance I’ve ever seen in my life, double standards suck’,
‘Sabrina Carpenter introduced many outfit changes, visuals, choreography and vocals while Justin Bieber played songs from his laptop on stage’,
‘They didn’t pay Sabrina half what they paid Justin at Coachella, and there’s no comparison between the two performances, but men still think misogyny doesn’t exist.’
But some defended the star, writing: ‘I feel like Justin Bieber is healing his inner child right now with this Coachella performance and it’s really nice to see that.
‘Seeing him look back at his younger self with nothing but love?? It’s like I’ve never seen him perform so relaxed and happy.
‘This Justin Bieber set is so impressive’.
‘JUSTIN BIEBER REALLY PLAYED BEAUTY AND A BEAT IRL @ COACHELLA. (I COULD CRY)’
‘Justin Bieber delivers massive tribute to himself at #Coachella’.
Others said: ‘Stealing music from his computer was the greatest thing Justin Bieber has ever done’; ‘You will never understand how emotional it made me to see Justin Bieber singing a cover of his old song next to his younger self’;
‘He’s Justin Bieber, his voice alone is enough, it was amazing to see him sing in his younger self’; ‘Only Beliebers know how important this show is. Our son made it and never left, just as we never left him. ‘This bond will last forever, Justin Bieber will last forever’.
‘Justin Bieber, what a singer you are! The most expensive Coachella booking, she opened the stage and did whatever she wanted, I love you, dammit’;
Coachella is mentioned for the first time since ‘Covid’. The reason why Coachella is so talked about this year is Justin Bieber. He doesn’t need to put on a big performance for fans to truly enjoy it. He already did everything all the new artists did’;
‘No amount of production or money could beat Justin Bieber pulling out that laptop just to laugh and remember where his career started.’
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Much of the backlash towards Justin’s performance focused on “double standards” in the industry, which was compared to Sabrina, who reportedly only received $5 million.
But some defended the star, writing: ‘I feel like Justin Bieber is healing his inner child right now with this Coachella performance and it’s really nice to see that.’
Taking to the stage wearing just a hoodie, Justin abandoned a band and background dancers for a laptop with a simple light show.
Justin kicked off the set with the Canadian pop band’s 2025 song All I Can Take, performed amidst psychedelicly pulsating blue and white lights.
He then offered a rendition of his 2025 challenger Speed Demon, which took a sneer at public speculation about his welfare.
Insisting that his musical output should speak for itself, he muttered: ‘They try to say I’ve lost my mind but now they sing every line.’
During a break, he praised the ‘beautiful faces in the audience tonight’ and sweetly asked those watching the live broadcast: ‘How are you guys doing at home?’
He then offered fans the opportunity to “help me out with the songs tonight” by choosing their “favorites” and posting them in the broadcast’s running comments.
The eerie set was filled with smoke, and its sloping pearl-grey topography made it look as if you were walking on another planet.
Justin covered the songs First Place and Go Baby; It was a loving tribute to his wife, Hailey Bieber, who was both seen making a splash about Coachella with girlfriend Kendall Jenner ahead of his show.
Other new songs he sang included Walking Away, which was said to address divorce rumors between him and Hailey, a song called Petting Zoo, which some fans interpreted as being about the couple’s fights, and another song called I Do, which was a clear confirmation of their commitment.
He delivered a crowd-pleasing performance of his 2021 hit single Stay with The Kid LaROI, which was apparently a viewer request from the comments.
From there, he then moved into an acoustic release of lesser-known material, like Comearound Me, a 2020 love song about intimacy with Hailey.
Justin then moved on to a few more songs from last year: the spiritual GLORY VOICE MEMO and the soulful ballad Zuma House.
After the acoustic section, he won over the crowd by performing a medley of his old hits.
He sat in front of his laptop and uploaded videos of his favorite songs and sang along to them; among them Baby, His Favorite Girl, Beauty and Rhythm, Never Say Never, Confident, Everything Matters.
He then returned to old YouTube singing videos he recorded as a child before he became famous, which led to him being discovered by Usher and Scooter Braun.
One of them, he noted, went back ’19 years’ and showed Justin performing a 2006 Ne-Yo song as a child, with the adult Bieber standing on stage at Coachella and singing along.
He then treated the crowd to another of his classics, his 2015 song Sorry, followed by his successful collaboration with Skrillex, Where Are U Now.
He made a show of falling down a rabbit hole of old embarrassing YouTube videos, such as old footage of him walking towards the glass door, falling off the stage and yelling at a paparazzi whom he accused of trying to ‘provoke’ him.
She then returned to her newer, relatively obscure material, muttering Yukon, a tip of the hat to the GMC Yukon, the car Hailey drove on her date.
Festival goers were so excited to see the headliner’s performance that fans dubbed the entire event ‘Bieberchella’ and fans couldn’t wait to see her return to the stage.
She closed the show with one of her newest singles, Daisies.
He later sang another tribute to his wife, Devotion, collaborating with Dijon, whom he brought onstage for a duet that culminated in a heartwarming embrace.
Justin played a private, invite-only concert about a week before his Coachella began warming up for the festival at The Roxy Theater in Los Angeles.
This marked his first full-length live set in nearly four years, after making short appearances at the Grammys and the Super Bowl event in early 2026.
Justin made surprise guest appearances at several low-key events during his break from music following the cancellation of his 2022 world tour, but this marked the beginning of his big comeback.
Meanwhile, Sabrina’s stage design included visual elements reminiscent of movie sets, city backdrops, and a stylized version of the Hollywood Hills.
Throughout the show, the setting switched between different scenes, including a studio, a bar, and a stage-like cityscape.
He packed 20 songs into a Tinseltown-inspired set, complete with A-list cameos and classic movie props.
While actor Susan Sarandon delivered a speaking segment in line with the series’ story, Sam Elliott and Will Ferrell also appeared on stage.
Sabrina will return for the second weekend of Coachella this Friday, followed by Justin on Saturday and Karol G on Sunday.
