When Justin Bieber took to the Coachella stage last week, he almost certainly did not expect to inspire so much backlash.
It was revealed he was the highest-paid Coachella headliner to date, earning a whopping $10,000,000 (£7.3million) for the two nights.
His low-key performance, which included scrolling YouTube for his greatest hits, was a stark contrast to the ‘Sabrinawood’ show put on by Friday headliner Sabrina Carpenter.
The perceived lack of effort sparked think pieces about the expectations placed on male and female artists as fans expressed disappointment in Biebs.
This weekend, Sabrina upped her game as she brought out the legendary Madonna to sing Like A Prayer with the pair teasing a duet on the Queen of Pop’s upcoming album.
So all eyes were on Justin as he returned to headline Saturday night, wondering if the backlash would impact his ‘disappointing’ performance.
While the set-up was the same, his weekend two set was so jam-packed with stars and emotional moments that fans couldn’t help but praise him.
Biebs appeared to be far more comfortable on stage as he interacted with the crowd, leaning into the sobbing masses while he sang.
Mirroring Tems’ cameo last weekend, he brought out Sexxy Red early on, during Sweet Spot, but the guests didn’t stop there.
In his most controversial section of the set – combing YouTube for his old hits and singing along -he clearly listened to fans and decided to up his game.
After singing hits like One Time and Baby, with his younger self providing backing vocals, he pressed play on fan favourite, One Less Lonely Girl.
Partway through, a woman climbed onto the stage and made her way up to Justin, stumbling a little as she went, with the Sorry legend rushing to help her up.
Turns out that woman was actually superfan Billie Eilish, who hugged Justin as she sat on a stool, clearly emotional and trying to hide her face.
The moment was a nod to his tour tradition of bringing one crowd member on stage and giving her flowers during the bridge.
Viewers were beside themselves at the moment, with many emotional that Billie’s ‘childhood dream had come true’.
‘SHE WAS FALLING WITHOUT BEING ABLE TO BELIEVE IT AND THE WAY JUSTIN RUNS TO HELP HER AND HUGS HER I’M BROKEN DOWN IN TEARS,’ wrote biebrntion on X.
Antisumiya added: ‘What do u MEAN justin chose billie as his one less lonely girl i’m gonna sob.’
Pictures of Billie, 24, as a teenager with Justin posters on her walls started to circulate with snaps of her hugging her idol.
‘I’d be weak in the knees too billie,’ joked wdcleclerc16.
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However, it wasn’t just One Less Lonely Girl that got the all-star treatment, with long-time collaborator Big Sean joining for two songs.
The pair sang As Long As You Love Me and No Pressure, with Sean emotionally sharing how proud he was of Justin after ‘all he’s been through’.
Before the music video section was over, Justin had one more surprise in store. He played an incredibly early pre-fame cover of Cry Me A River, singing in harmony with his younger self.
He only briefly got distracted by memes, playing one video before stopping himself and declaring they had to ‘keep the show going’.
This was likely in response to the backlash around last week’s set, with many feeling they had paid too much for him to be sat there watching memes.
He quickly got back into the music, bringing out two more cameos – Dijon and SZA – before closing on hit song Daisies.
Once again, Justin headed into the crowd, actively pulling one girl’s arm further around him as he leaned into the adoring audience.
Was Justin Bieber’s Coachella weekend 2 set better?
Overall, the set has been received far more positively than the first week, with the sheer number of cameos upping the production quality in many viewers’ eyes.
‘Seeing Justin Bieber’s performances at Coachella are so nice it looks like he’s so happy and healing! Love it for him,’ megannjessop_ praised.
‘Justin Bieber and Billie Eilish at Coachella?? that combo is insane 😭 Weekend 2 really didn’t come to play 🔥’ said CyberM001.
CreightonBranch shared: ‘It’s so good to see Justin find his joy on the stage again. This industry is exponentially better with him in it.
‘What an unbelievable performance. He had the crowd in the palm of his hand. Not many can compete with his aura. That was incredible. A living legend.’
Many fans said they were emotional watching the Baby singer, who found fame at just 15, ‘healing’ on stage in real time.
While his set-up might not have been Sabrina’s level of production, clearly seeing him reconnect with his younger self means more to fans than any epic stage show.
As Scott Bailey said: ‘Respect Justin Bieber week 2. He actually sang and sounded great. I roasted his ass week 1 …rightfully so but he redeemed 💯.’
In one final moment, Biebs teased ‘I’ll see y’all soon’, blew a kiss to the audience, and walked off stage, leaving fans wanting more.
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