“Bieber Fever” has been a cultural phenomenon since the start of Justin Bieber’s career in 2010, and his Coachella set reignited this fever — along with many of our inner children.
As he took the stage and opened with songs from his YouTube beginnings, he immediately stole the show, proving he still has the potential to be a headliner.
Coachella 2026, to many, was expected to mirror the energy of Coachella 2016. In the weeks leading up to the festival, social media was flooded with tweets and TikToks on how to dress like it was 2016 all over again.
With throwback-inspired headliners announced, Bieber seemed like the perfect sensation to bring back 2016. Many Beliebers worried that his setlist would lean too heavily on his newer albums, which did not channel the same 2016 vibes fans expected.
His more recent albums have not received as much love and attention from fans as his older releases. The fans’ concerns weren’t entirely unfounded; the first half of Bieber’s setlist, which focused largely on new material, failed to resonate with fans, demonstrating the gap between Bieber’s artistic evolution and the everlasting nostalgia his audience still desires.
Fans mainly recognized songs like “Daisies” and “Everything Hallelujah” from his newer albums, which left them feeling like Justin’s song selection was not personalized to fans.
Previous Bieber stans were commenting on X about how his performance was “lazy” and how “something iconic landed flat.”
Nonetheless, his featured bangers were the stars of the show. After performing “Baby,” “That Should Be Me,” and “Beauty and the Beat” live, he had the crowd reminiscing about what 2016 was truly about for them and reminded them what being a Belieber is all about.
As a fan, glindaupland wrote on X, “Justin took us back in time and reminded us all why we fell in love with him in the first place.”
Ultimately, Bieber delivered what many came for: a blend of past and present. While not every moment landed, his performance showed that his influence as a pop star still resonates. By the end of the night, fans were reinfected with Bieber Fever.