Justin Bieber’s Coachella 2026 show labeled a ‘snooze-fest’ over lesser-known songs in the setlist

INDIO, CALIFORNIA: Justin Bieber finally took the stage to perform his headlining act for the 2026 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, following months of excitement. His performance was the most highly-anticipated act of this year's event and drew a massive crowd.

The global pop icon performed everything live during the show, without relying on any pre-recorded tracks, and even customized parts of his set based on live song requests from fans.

But despite the frenzy surrounding his performance, social media was not fully happy or satisfied with his set. While his speedrun through earlier hits like 'Baby,' 'Never Say Never,' and 'Beauty and the Beast' left the crowd cheering, many criticized the singer for beginning his set with potentially less familiar tracks from newer albums like 'Swag' and 'Swag II.'

Justin Bieber includes less familiar songs in Coachella 2026 setlist

Bieber, known for his record-breaking hits released across multiple eras of his career, was mocked online after including, what fans described as potentially “unknown songs” in his Coachella headlining setlist.

While the singer belted out the fan-favorite 'Stay' with The Kid LAROI nearly 30 minutes into the show, he opened the set with his relatively newer music instead of relying on his older, well-known hits. 

Bieber's opening setlist appeared to be built around tracks from his 'Swag' albums, with the opening performance featuring 'All I Can Take' followed by songs like 'Speed Demon,' 'Go Baby,' 'Butterflies,' 'Walking Away,' 'Things You Do,' and 'Dotted Line,' among others.

Even though he delivered a standout moment with 'Stay' alongside The Kid LAROI, most of the earlier sections of the set remained centered on his recent releases.

This left many fans disappointed, as they were expecting more throwback hits from albums like 'My World' and 'Believe.' Bieber did not completely throw cold water on fan expectations as he later added classic tracks such as 'Baby,' 'Never Say Never,' 'Favorite Girl,' 'Beauty and the Beast,' and 'Where Are U Now,' into the mix.

However, social media users were already expressing disappointment online.

Bieber reportedly secured a $10 million deal for his Coachella appearance, becoming the highest paid artist of the festival. Tickets had already been sold out months in advance, with passes gone roughly seven months before opening weekend.

Justin Bieber’s Coachella setlist questioned for unusual song selections

The internet had been hailing 'Bieberchella' weeks before Bieber took the stage, building major anticipation around the performance.

But despite a speedrun through his early discography, Bieber's Coachella setlist failed to impress some social media users.

One user shared, "he really went with all his unknown songs and called it a setlist #bieberchella"

"Justin Bieber did the impossible … he managed to dethrone Katseye with the worst coachella performance of all time," another one shares.

Another user shares, "2 minutes into Justin’s coachella set and it’s already a snooze fest"

"All of Justin’s new songs during this performance #coachella," someone else shares.

One user shares, "I feel so bad for the people who waited for hours for Justin just for him to have cheap production, no outfit changes, no visuals just standing there performing khia songs from his last album while everyone is on mute LMAO #bieberchella"

Another said, "I know this man has been through so much. I get it. But he literally got paid the most out of any headliner to literally just sit or lay on the stage and sing?! But if a woman did this she would be absolutely torn to pieces…"

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