Coachella is heading into its second weekend, and fans are already sharing a huge theory about what Justin Bieber might do next.
Bieber returned to the California festival stage last weekend with a set that blended newer material from his latest albums, Swag and Swag II, with older hits such as Beauty and a Beat and Baby.
It also marked a milestone moment: Bieber’s first time headlining Coachella, and his first full US concert since 2022, when the Justice World Tour was ultimately cancelled.
Given that context, it’s understandable his performance quickly became one of the most talked-about moments of this year’s festival—sparking intense online reactions and giving his back catalogue a noticeable boost.
That said, not everyone was convinced. Some viewers in the YouTube comments questioned whether the same relaxed approach will land as well when he returns for weekend two.
In the days since, an especially bold fan theory has started doing the rounds about how his next appearance could play out.
On Reddit, one fan—who said they were attending “Couchella” from home—posed the question: “Now that the shock factor is gone and we all know what to expect, can the casual vibe actually work a second time? Obviously whether or not this worked even one time is up for debate, but let’s put that aside for a moment.”
They followed up with: “Do y’all think W2 will be the exact same show or will he need to up the stakes to keep it interesting?
“For example, if he shows the same videos with the same banter, would that diminish the intimate/authentic feeling attributed to the W1 set? Or was this a unique moment that can’t be replicated?”
Other users quickly jumped into the thread with their own predictions for what weekend two might look like.
One commenter wrote: “Well we will find out if it was intended as an intimate moment or if it was simply lazy.
“If it was intended as genuine, I’d expect tweaks to that segment of the performance for W2 to make it more engaging for the audience. If it was laziness, I’d expect it to stay very much the same.”
Someone else suggested the setlist itself could shift in a big way: “Wouldn’t be surprised if he skipped that whole segment and now no old songs. not sure if that’s what his fans really want, but it might be what we get. maybe he’ll just do different old songs?
They continued: “and hopefully no memes, that part was a bit unnecessary but whatever. maybe he’ll be inspired by some other sets? who knows.”
With the festival costing hundreds of millions to stage each year, it’s no secret that Coachella has a long history of paying heavily for its biggest names.
Here’s a look at some of the priciest headliner payouts that have been reported over the years…
Back in 2004, an English rock band topped the bill and reportedly earned $1 million at the time—roughly equivalent to about $1.7 million today.
Eminem—often referred to as the ‘Slim Shady’ rapper—headlined in 2018 and even brought Dr. Dre onstage for a surprise appearance. Reports at the time widely claimed he received $1 million for the set.
A report by The New Yorker estimates that Lady Gaga was paid between $3-4 million for her 2025 headline show, dubbed ‘Mayhem in the Desert’.
Paul McCartney reportedly earned around $4 million for headlining in 2009, according to 98FM—about $6 million once adjusted for today’s economy.
Prince—another standout in the festival’s history—was reportedly paid $5 million for his 2008 headline slot, which would be roughly $7.4 million in current terms.
Ariana Grande (the Wicked star) made history in 2019 as the youngest female artist to ever headline Coachella. PEOPLE reported she earned $8 million across both weekends.
After Beyoncé’s iconic 2018 headline performance—so famous it inspired the nickname ‘Beychella’—there was early disagreement over the exact figure she earned. Billboard later predicted her pay landed somewhere between $8 million and $12 million, placing her among the costliest headliners in the festival’s history.