Justin Bieber has made a nostalgia-fuelled return to the stage at the first weekend of the Coachella music festival in Indio, California.
The much-anticipated headline act opened with tracks from his 2025 albums Swag and Swag II, before delving into a journey back into the archives.
Bieber asked the audience, “How far back do you go?” before singing along to YouTube videos of his older hits, such as Baby and Never Say Never.
He was joined onstage by musical guests The Kid Laroi, Wizkid, Tems and Dijon.
The show marked the Canadian singer’s biggest live set since he abandoned his 2022 Justice tour over health concerns. Bieber was then experiencing paralysis on one side of his face after being diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt syndrome.
“I wish this wasn’t the case, but obviously my body is telling me I gotta slow down,” he said at the time.
Last year, he shared that the idea of touring again was “super daunting” to him, and he was not planning to do it anytime soon.
Instead, “I’m putting on a hell of a show for you guys for Coachella, getting ready, and getting inspired,” he declared to fans on Twitch.
SZA yesterday denied rumours she had been hired as a backup for Bieber, in case he pulled out at the last minute.
The Kill Bill singer commented on an Instagram post claiming she was paid six figures to “stay Coachella-ready”, responding, “Lmao who made this up? I’ve seen this 4 times now. I’m in New York, no one paid me a dime.”
The annual music festival hosts around 125,000 concert-goers a day, with seven stages showcasing a variety of artists, including headliners Sabrina Carpenter and Karol G.
Other performers include Moby, Geese, David Byrne, Addison Rae, the Strokes, Sombr, Iggy Pop, Ethel Cain and Labrinth over the two weekends.
