After a four-year break from touring, Justin Bieber is headlining Coachella’s main stage. In a controversial section of the show he sang along to YouTube clips – and at times didn’t sing at all.

Up to 125,000 punters attend Coachella each weekend. The festival is also livestreamed to an enormous international audience: 5.89 million people subscribe to the YouTube channel.

Audiences and reviewers argued over whether Bieber’s performance was a clever statement on nostalgia or a lazy display of disrespect.

But, placed in a historical context, Bieber’s performance can actually be read as an interesting contribution to “live” performance.

What happened during Bieber’s performance?

The controversial section ran for around 20 minutes of the 90-minute set.

Coachella is known for guest appearances, and in other sections of the performance, Bieber welcomed Dijon, Tems, Wizkid, Mk.gee and The Kid Laroi. Much of the set played out like a typical festival show.

Still, there were early hints at something different. After performing Speed Demon, Bieber peered directly into the camera to shout-out his “living room” audience, and Coachella’s giant screens showed the chat feed on the festival’s livestream.

When the show approached 50 minutes, Bieber addressed the audience again: “tonight is such a........

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