Justin Bieber made his long-awaited return to the festival stage Saturday night at Coachella — but not in the way anyone expected. The pop star set up a MacBook onstage and let YouTube commenters vote on his setlist in real time, streaming his own music videos on the big screen behind him.
Critics called it “lazy,” a “snoozefest” and “the worst in festival history,” while others defended the stripped-back set as a personal moment from an artist returning to the stage after years away due to illness. Katy Perry, watching from the crowd, joked: “Thank god he has YouTube Premium, I don’t wanna see no ads.”
Saturday marked the first time the Swag II singer performed as a billed Coachella act — and his reported $10 million payday made him the highest-paid performer in the festival’s history. He was joined by musical guests including Kid Laroi, Wizkid and Tems, and closed with: “Tonight’s been beautiful ,guys. It’s been a dream of mine to perform here.”
Addison Rae also made her Coachella main stage debut Saturday afternoon, performing her “Fame & Glory Show” set at 5:30 p.m. PT in front of a packed crowd.
On Friday, Sabrina Carpenter delivered a star-studded headlining debut, transforming the main stage into “Sabrinawood” with 20 songs and celebrity cameos from Susan Sarandon, Will Ferrell and Samuel L. Jackson. Sarandon appeared midway through the set in a vintage car, delivering a nearly seven-minute dramatic monologue as an older version of Carpenter — Variety called it “bizarre” while fans on social media called it “iconic.” DJ Anyma canceled his midnight set due to dangerous winds.
Latin music takes center stage Sunday night when Karol G closes out Weekend 1 with her highly anticipated set. The Colombian superstar makes history as the first Latina artist to headline Coachella.
Follow along for Yahoo’s full Coachella coverage, including on-the-ground intel from Yahoo’s own Krista Rados and Kelsey Weekman.
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