Justin Bieber has come under fire from some viewers watching Coachella from home, with critics taking aim at his headline set at the California festival.
Coachella’s first weekend has wrapped up, delivering plenty of big moments for music fans.
But online reaction has been mixed toward Justin Bieber following his first major headline performance in quite some time, when he topped the festival’s main stage on Saturday (April 11).
The 32-year-old was one of the marquee names on Day 2. While many expected a straightforward run through familiar hits such as ‘Never Say Never’, ‘Stay’ and ‘Baby’, his set took a different turn and surprised a portion of the audience.
Wearing shorts, a hoodie and sunglasses, Bieber dipped in and out of older material—yet it was everything in between that sparked debate. Some viewers questioned the overall production and energy, with frustration amplified by reports of his sizeable fee.
Per the Daily Mail, Bieber reportedly earned $10 million for the headline slot, a figure that some critics pointed to when arguing the show lacked extras like dancers or a more high-octane staging.
The Financial Express has also claimed the reported amount would make him the highest-paid Coachella performer to date.
During the performance, Bieber was seen running a livestream, asking viewers to suggest what he should play next. He also poked fun at himself by showing memes, including clips of him falling off stage and walking into a glass door.
“justin rlly up there headlining coachella w/ just a mic & his macbook??,” wrote one online commenter.
One person wrote: “literally justin bieber brought a laptop to coachella with the youtube chat and his fans are deciding the SONGS.”
Another said: “100,000 people paid to watch a man browse his own channel.”
A user went on to brand it the ‘worst’ performance of Coachella’s history writing: “Justin Bieber did the impossible … he managed to dethrone Katseye with the worst coachella performance of all time.”
Still, plenty of fans defended Bieber and framed the moment as a more personal comeback rather than a spectacle-heavy production.
One supporter commented: “He literally hasn’t performed in years due to illness and extreme mental distress. The fact he is out performing and giving us incredible vocals is all we wanted and all that’s needed. It’s incredible. If you want theatrics go to the circus.”
Another said: “Oh no you didn’t understand nothinggg!!! For THE justin Bieber to be fully himself, intimate and happy, it is everything. For fans to like ‘hang out with him’ is goooolldddd.”
Someone else wrote: “I feel like Justin Bieber is healing his inner child with this Coachella performance right now and it’s genuinely beautiful to see.
“Seeing him look at his younger self with nothing but love?? Like I’ve never seen him this relaxed and happy performing.”
With Coachella costing hundreds of millions to stage each year, major payouts for headline acts aren’t unusual—and the festival has a long history of paying top dollar for its biggest names.
Here’s a look at several of the most expensive reported headliner paydays over the years.
Back in 2004, an English rock band reportedly earned $1 million to headline—around $1.7 million in today’s money.
The ‘Slim Shady’ rapper headlined in 2018, bringing Dr. Dre out for a surprise appearance, and was widely reported to have received $1 million for the set.
A report by The New Yorker estimates that the ‘Bad Romance’ singer earned between $3-4 million for her 2025 headlining show titled ‘Mayhem in the Desert’.
The Beatles legend reportedly collected about $4 million to headline in 2009, according to 98FM—roughly $6 million after adjusting for today’s economy.
Another iconic musician, who has since passed away, was said to have received $5 million for headlining in 2008, equating to around $7.4 million now.
The Wicked star made history in 2019 as the youngest female headliner, and PEOPLE reported she earned $8 million across both weekends.
After headlining in 2018—when the festival was famously dubbed ‘Beychella’—the pop superstar’s fee was initially disputed, though Billboard projected a payout in the $8 to $12 million range, placing her among the event’s priciest headliners.