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The musician may have satiated Beliebers, but his much-anticipated set fell short of expectations<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n\tJustin Bieber<\/a>\u2019s headline turn at this year\u2019s Coachella<\/a> on Saturday was almost a prophecy fulfilled: The somewhat reclusive superstar has been a frequent guest and audience member at the desert fest, and ever since the event\u2019s turn into the pop world, he\u2019s been a top-of-wishlist performer for the mostly-millenial crowd that typically fills the field. Actually, those last three words have never been more true: Thanks to a scarcity of product (Bieber last toured the U.S. in 2022), an excitement of purpose, and a lack of counter-programming, there\u2019s an argument that Bieber\u2019s audience was the biggest-ever on the Coachella field, stretching back almost to the ferris wheel.<\/p>\n \n\tBieber negotiated his own deal to headline<\/a>, and speculation ran rampant pre-fest with what Bieber was planning, especially after two tiny L.A. underplays focused exclusively<\/a> on songs from his most recent albums, Swag <\/em>and Swag II<\/em>. Eagle-eared listeners who were near the field reported that he was playing older songs during soundcheck this week, so it was truly anyone\u2019s guess what would actually transpire when he took the stage.<\/p>\n \n\tThe answer was a show that felt too basic in its perseveration to warrant so much hype, yet far from the trainwreck of Frank Ocean\u2019s well documented free fall<\/a> on the same stage back in 2023. Bieber\u2019s set mostly consisted of the singer alone on a huge stage sans any true production, singing mid-tempo pop songs like \u201cFirst Place\u201d and ballads like \u201cAll the Way.\u201d It was a trial of patience for many fans, especially when \u2014 after a sit-in from the Kid Laroi on \u201cStay\u201d \u2014 Bieber brought in a couple of guitarists to share the stage with, playing deep-cut acoustic tracks that led to a mid-set exodus.<\/p>\n