The Bieber Coachella set broke me, and now I save concert videos like this
NGL to you, it was with a lot of trepidation months back that I received the WhatsApp from my friend alerting me to the fact Justin Bieber was going to frickin’ well be performing at Coachella this year.
It’s been a long time since he last performed live after ill health stopped his Justice world tour four years ago.
A lot (and I mean a lot) has happened in between. He’s battled the aforementioned physical issues, become a Dad…so could he still cut it (and most importantly, would he sing ‘Baby?’)
I couldn’t get to Coachella, so I had to rely on the next best thing
Thing is, I’m 30 now and being a grown-up sucks, so having to work while all this was going on around me (and realizing I wasn’t 14 anymore) was not the vibe I was aiming for, but there we are…
There was a lot of silly anxiety for me in the run-up. I think it’s that thing of knowing your teenage years are gone and wanting to remember them fondly, while also wondering if the guy you idolized during that time would still have it when he got up…or would he, too, have changed…? Inevitable…but…
As Justin once said, “I think older people can appreciate my music because I really show my heart when I sing, and it’s not corny. I think I can grow as an artist, and my fans will grow with me.” So there’s hope for me yet, even though I knew I’d have to rely on the official YouTube feed and social media for my Justin Bieber Coachella fix.
When old Bieber and new Bieber meet
Then something amazing happened when he came out on stage. The visuals were bright and trippy, but he didn’t dazzle with theatrics. He simply sat down with his laptop, opened up YouTube, and gave us his greatest hits. Complete with glitchy wi-fi. Sublime.
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And yes, he DID do ‘Baby’ as part of his setlist. Teenage Memory: UNLOCKED.
You might read it and think, “People paid to watch him flick through his laptop and sing along with him…?” but it’s a flashback in time. It was seeing him as he was, and us growing up with him, watching poor quality 360p footage on YouTube! Perfection.
I wanted to relive Bieber at Coachella again and again
It was only as the set was ending that I felt panicky. I’d watched it live, but I NEEDED a copy of it for all time. I didn’t want to lose that feeling, and knew I’d want a way to relive it whenever I felt like an uplift.
There are ways to do it on my Mac natively from YouTube, but that requires a subscription to their Premium service. OK, if you have it, but not necessarily worth paying for, just for the occasional download.
My secret trick to getting a Bieber fix whenever I want it is to use Downie. I found a user who’d uploaded the whole set to YouTube, and all I needed to do was drag and drop the link straight into the Downie app, and let it upload.
It saves to my Mac’s Download folder, and it’s also available in the Downie app to watch for keeps. That, to me, is bliss. And I’ll still hold on to the hope that I’ll be able to get to Coachella next year, maybe.
You don’t need to be a Belieber to use my tips, but they help…
So, the next time there’s something special you want to download and keep, there’s no need to worry. That single download tip will save it for you, for all time, even if the original content gets scrubbed. And, as long as you keep your Mac backed up, it’s yours to keep forever.
Got any Bieber memories to share with me? Or Coachella facts? HMU in the comments, and let’s natter!
