Justin Bieber approached his Coachella set the same way he began his career: with help from YouTube.
The pop star burst onto the scene in the early 2000s, after music producer Scooter Braun stumbled upon the Canadian teen's amateur online videos and turned him into a musical icon.
When taking the stage Saturday at the festival in Indio, California, Bieber, now 32, paid homage to his roots and took his fans down memory lane.
Instead of a flashy, choreographed performance with costume changes, bright lights and backup dancers — which are commonplace on Coachella stages — Bieber brought just one prop to aid his set: a laptop with an internet connection.
The artist projected YouTube's homepage and pulled up some of his classic hits, including "Baby." He even played his viral 2008 cover of “With You” that kicked off his singing career. Thousands of fans who braved the desert heat to see Bieber live sang along in the crowd, as millions online tuned in to a livestream of the performance on YouTube.
For many fans, the show was more an oral history of Bieber's successes and failures, rather than a traditional Coachella performance.
“This show felt like it was made for the real OG beliebers,” a Bieber fan account wrote in the comments section of one clip posted by Coachella. Another user in the comments described the performance as “simple and legendary.”
But the lack of verve Bieber brought to one of music's biggest stages also drew some backlash online — especially amid reports that the artist was paid $10 million to host a YouTube viewing party.
Representatives for Coachella did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.
The discourse online started off as jest.
"Thank God he has premium," pop star Katy Perry said during Bieber’s set in a video she posted on Instagram. "I don't want to see no ads."
It was one of several social media posts from the "Teenage Dream" singer, who was at the festival with her beau, former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Swedish pop star Zara Larsson also joined the online commentary, posting a video of herself watching the livestream of Bieber's set.
"It's giving let's smoke and watch YouTube," Larsson wrote in text over the video. The caption said, "He's in my dream blunt rotation."
Many were quick to assume Larsson was criticizing Bieber, but she followed up with an Instagram comment defending his performance.
"People thinking I'm hating are projecting lol I was vibing hardddddddddddddd," Larsson wrote.
But others online were less enthusiastic.
One X user posted a screenshot of the Coachella stream that showed Bieber sitting at a desk with his open MacBook in front of him, YouTube page blasted on the massive screen behind him.
"Nothing from my end thanks," the user wrote in the post, likening Bieber's setup to a corporate Zoom call.
Some online slammed Bieber as being lazy and having "scammed" the famed festival out of millions as he sat at his computer.
One person compared Bieber with fellow festival headliner Sabrina Carpenter, who is known for her larger-than-life performances.
"If Sabrina Carpenter did what Justin Bieber is doing right now, her career would be over," the X user wrote.
But "Beliebers," the label Bieber fans are known by, were quick to offer a competing narrative.
Influencer Remi Bader, who was also in the crowd for Bieber's Coachella set, posted photos of actor Jacob Elordi and artist Sombr seemingly enjoying the performance.
Bader also posted a separate photo of the stage and said the set was "pure bliss."
Coachella continues next weekend, with Bieber expected to helm the main stage again Saturday night. It remains to be seen whether he will fire up his laptop for a second time or if he will take another, perhaps more artistic, route.
Either way, one thing is clear: Bieber's fans will "Never Say Never" to his performances.
