Singer Justin Bieber took the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival stage again Saturday, April 18, giving fans another YouTube music video night filled with plenty of hits.
Keeping up with his stripped-down, laid-back Weekend 1 set, Bieber managed to out-do himself by settling onto the stage with confidence, having fun with fans and bringing out an onslaught of guests.
His Weekend 1 performance was beloved by Beliebers, questioned by non-fans and talked about by pretty much everyone. Whether you loved it or didn’t, there’s no denying it’s good to have Bieber back on stage, in his element and doing things his own way.
Here’s what he brought with his Weekend 2 set.
Justin Bieber owns every moment of his headlining set
From the get-go, Bieber seemed more confident and ready to take on his headlining set.
He addressed the audience so much more and sounded amped up when screaming “Coachella, what’s up!” He even went into the crowd during “Speed Demon,” something entirely new compared to Weekend 1 and, when you think about all the fans who were clamoring to touch him, an insane thing to do. But it was so fun to see that side of him, both relaxed with thousands of people around him and looking so in his element.
At one point he told the audience his “adrenaline is through the roof” and that he might have trouble speaking because of all the people around him. But it never once led to him faltering vocally during the first act of his performance, which focused on “Swag” and “Swag II” songs. If anything, it provided another insightful moment into what it’s like being a superstar, and how only some are able to be a true showman.
He dedicated “Go Baby” to his “baby girl” Hailey Bieber, who he professed his love for on stage. Another humanizing moment for this larger than life figure. All these extra touches also helped boost this section and make it not feel stale compared to Weekend 1.
Billie Eilish loses it during ‘One Less Lonely Girl’
Keeping up with letting fans on a “live stream” — which we don’t actually believe is real — pick a few songs they wanted him to play, that led to a bit of variety with his set list.
“Lyin’” was one of those new ones, a soulful and upbeat love song that allowed Bieber’s voice to shine. An acoustic version of “Mother In You” was also featured.
The section that got the most revamping, and the one attendees were eager to get to, was Bieber’s YouTube singalong. “One Time” got massive screams from everyone, prompting Bieber to get people to wave their hands in the air. “You guys are too lit,” he said at one point.
“One Less Lonely Girl” was a star-studded moment when Bieber was joined on stage by none other than Billie Eilish, one of his biggest fans. She was in disbelief as she got pulled up on stage, and Bieber held her in his arms and sang to her. It’s not hard to imagine her reaction is the same as any other woman’s in the audience. It was a throwback to their first meeting which happened in the crowd at the Coachella Stage in 2019.
Other songs included “U Smile,” “Up,” “Baby” (which he performed last week), “As Long As You Love Me” and an older video of him singing along to Justin Timberlake’s “Cry Me a River.” He played the songs a little longer compared to last week, which delighted fans in the audience.
SZA, Big Sean, Dijon among special guests
Bieber promised his fans a night with so many special guests, and he did not disappoint.
A new addition was Sexyy Red on a very steamy song called “Sweet Spot.” The headliner was dancing with her and hugging, which was cute to see, even if the vocals were iffy at best on that joint effort.
Big Sean joined Bieber on “As Long As You Love Me,” and in addition to crooning together, the rapper shared very sweet words to the headliner. He told him he was proud of him for getting through so many difficulties in his life. Bieber, in turn, had a huge grin on his face.
Dijon returned for another round on “Devotion,” while SZA surprised everyone with “Snooze,” which elicited screams from everyone.
Sometimes headliners don’t do much for Weekend 2, but Bieber truly knocked it out of the park in every aspect.
Ema Sasic covers entertainment and health in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at ema.sasic@desertsun.com or on Twitter @ema_sasic.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Justin Bieber outdoes himself with Billie Eilish, SZA moments in Weekend 2
Reporting by Ema Sasic, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
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