Justin Bieber is set for a major live performance comeback at this year’s sold-out Coachella with rainy weather set to be a possible spoiler.
The Canadian singer will face his biggest live stage since he abandoned his 2022 tour over health concerns. Bieber was experiencing “full paralysis” on one side of his face after being diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt syndrome. “I wish this wasn’t the case but obviously my body is telling me I gotta slow down,” he said at the time.
Last year, he said the idea of touring again was “super daunting” to him and he was not planning to put on an official tour anytime soon. “I’m putting on a hell of a show for you guys for Coachella, getting ready, and getting inspired,” he also said to fans on Twitch.
The annual music festival, which takes place in California’s Coachella valley, will host about 125,000 music lovers a day with seven stages offering a variety of artists including fellow headliners Sabrina Carpenter and Karol G. Other artists will include Moby, Geese, David Byrne, Addison Rae, the Strokes, Sombr, Iggy Pop, Ethel Cain and Labrinth over two weekends.
Tickets sold out in just three days, an encouraging sign of fan interest for the second year in a row following 2024’s edition suffering from the slowest sales to date.
Coachella is also set to host a comeback for The xx, performing their first major festival after eight years ahead of their first album since 2017. Last week saw a surprise performance in Mexico City, announced as “the start of a next chapter together”.
Carpenter, who performed at Coachella in 2024, has promised that her headlining set will be the “most ambitious” show she has ever done. “It’s probably the most time I’ve ever had to actually just sit down and talk about a show as I’m building it,” she said in an interview with Marc Jacobs this week.
On Sunday, Karol G, the Colombian singer, will become Coachella’s first ever Latina headliner. She recently spoke about how she has been warned not to make any anti-ICE statements over fears it might affect her visa. “You become bait, because some people want to show their power,” she said in a Playboy interview. She also added that she is “willing to say” ICE out but “it’s something that crosses the line of what I have to do to protect myself”.
This week’s schedule saw the surprise addition of Jack White while no-shows will include the punk duo Lambrini Girls after guitarist Phoebe Lunny announced on Instagram that she has “an acute brain injury”. Girl group Katseye member Manon will also miss the festival as she remains on a hiatus to “focus on her health and well-being”.
After last year saw near-record temperatures, rising up to 102F (39C), which led to a rise in heat-related visits to nearby hospitals, this weekend sees the possibility of rain. Earlier reports of a potential thunderstorm have since been downgraded but weather will still see a drastic shift from 2025 highs.