I can’t believe I’m defending Justin Bieber.
However:
He performed 19 songs — albeit in a low-fi way — and another 12 in a medley last night at Coachella.
He looked looked very happy and confident. His voice ranged from full to nasal depending on the song. When they were full compositions, the vocals were not bad. When they were fake rap songs, the material failed him so he rushed and muttered.
It didn’t matter. Either way, the massive crowd sang along with him.
Despite all this, the British press and some fans on social media criticized the medley. Bieber sat at a table on stage, with smoke and lights swirling around, and scrolled through YouTube on his laptop looking for videos of old hits to sing along with.
I guess no one picked up on the connection that YouTube was paying millions to show this concert for free. This was a product placement for YouTube. It wasn’t lazy or arbitrary. It was a way for Bieber to include songs he didn’t want to sing, and pay back YouTube.
Bieber’s set design at Coachella recalled Kanye West’s last week at SoFi Stadium. Maybe each of those was inspired by the design of “Sunset Boulevard” on Broadway last season. Lots of lights and smoke, very moody. The physical set, like Kanye’s, was a moonscape.
There was no choreographed dancing, which was just fine. I liked the spare guitar playing on stage by three musicians. I really liked the Nigerian singer Tems, who accompanied Bieber on “I Think You’re Special.” A song from “Swag” called “Butterflies” came off very well. The pop medley of old hits seemed silly, but it could have been worse.
Was he singing Karaoke? No. But after Sabrina Carpenter’s incredibly crafted show on Friday night, and Giveon’s production two acts before Justin hit the stage, it was all less than fans expected. According to reports they paid thousands of dollars for passes, so they were severely disappointed.
Watching at home for free, Bieber just seemed to be fulfilling his duties and having fun in order to get $10 million. He’s not up for audience interaction. He’s just trying to give his fans what they want and get off stage. If this was the template, a tour doesn’t seem possible unless prices are much, much lower. It’s ironic that the so called fans know he has issues, that he hasn’t performed for four years, and then turned on him.
PS Strange that Giveon — who’s sung with Bieber on his hit, “Peaches” — wasn’t enlisted for a guest spot. That’s a good story right there.
