– Katie Bain “Coachella!” screams Peso Pluma, signaling the beginning of his set, which served as night one’s pre-headliner — a.k.a.
the last main stage performance before Lana Del Rey.
The eight-member South Korean boy band ATEEZ repped for K-pop on Day 1 as the final performers of the night on the Sahara stage.
In an all-gold outfit that shimmered against the setting sun, Carpenter was resplendent during her Coachella debut.
When Chlöe made her solo Coachella debut Friday night, she followed in mentor Beyoncé’s footsteps by inspiring a custom moniker for her set on social media: #CHLÖCHELLA.
“All the gays are here,” said a man standing near the Gobi tent stage as the buzzing crowd awaited Chappell Roan’s entrance.
Miko packed the set with familiar hits and new material off her recently released debut album, att.
And by the set’s end, she proved that one day she will surely be back on this same stage — as its headliner.
As the first new live show in years, there were high expectations for the French duo’s headline performance on the Outdoor Stage. Ahead of the release of their fourth studio album, Hyperdrama, later this month, this new show exceeded all expectations, with the intricate lighting and mirror setup on stage changing into a series of arresting, minimalist, and frequently shimmering shapes throughout the performance. The songs on the album were skillfully interwoven with timeless hits, such as “D.”. 1. N. C. I. E. “Love S.O,” “We Are Your Friends,” and others. S. “, with a strong gabber section towards the end of the set to further highlight Hyperdrama’s hardcore and disco influences. Overall, Billboard’s current cover artists put on a flawless and incredibly beautiful performance. — Katie Bain.
Peso Pluma yells, “Coachella!” to start his set, which was the pre-headliner for the first night. k. 1. Before Lana Del Rey, this was the final main stage show. After performing his opening song while sporting a somewhat transparent mask that made it appear as though he had pulled tights over his eyes, he joyfully tore it off to reveal his trademark haircut and a better view of the audience that had gathered to watch him perform. “This is a special song for me,” he revealed to the audience a few minutes later as he brought Becky G onto the stage to perform “Chanel.”. Furthermore, Peso included Junior H for “El Azul,” Santa Fe Klan for “No Son Klle,” and Arcángel for “Peso Completo” during the set. These songs are from Peso’s upcoming album, Éxodo, which will be released this summer. Peso said, “Muchas gracias, Coachella.”. “Hola Mexico!” exclaimed Lyndsey Havens.
Donning his trademark hat and sunglasses, Bizarrap fulfilled a previous promise during his packed evening performance at the Sahara tent. The set started with what felt like a late-night rave, with him mixing on boards that formed a semicircle around him. The renowned Shakira entered the stage towards the middle of his set, as he had hinted on social media, and not only gave a surprise performance but also made an even more unexpected announcement: following her rendition of “La Fuerte,” Shakira declared that she was embarking on a global tour. “We’re finally going on tour, and it starts here, in this city, in November,” Shakira exclaimed. They then launched into a live performance of Shak’s scathing “Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol.” in celebration. 53″— hinting at what promises to be an incredible journey. – L. H.
On Day 1, the eight-piece South Korean boy band ATEEZ represented K-pop as the last act of the evening on the Sahara stage. Known for their flawlessly timed dance moves and a 10-song repertoire of guitar-heavy pop hits like “ARRIBA,” “BOUNCY (K-HOT CHILLI PEPPERS),” and a rock rendition of “Wonderland,” they were a perfect fit for the dance-heavy tent. Rapper and songwriter Hongjoong paused in the middle of the set to reflect on how far the group — which achieved their first No. The World EP was the number one album on the Billboard 200 in December. Fin: Since their early days, Will has been there. Recalling their initial journey to Southern California, he stated, “I think we came to LA was about six years ago.”. “We were practicing nonstop in a small studio in hopes of making our debut. Though I doubt I ever imagined myself at Coachella, as they say, “dream big.”. As Katie Atkinson once said, “Dreams truly come true!”.
Coachella’s largest Sahara Tent to date hosted Gou, but even it couldn’t hold the throng of people who came to see her perform. Alongside a group of six incredibly talented dancers, the South Korea-born Berlin-based producer commanded the stage as she played a set that included tracks by The Chemical Brothers, an edit of “Murder On The Dancefloor,” her 2023 hit song “It Goes Like (Nanana),” additional tracks from her upcoming album, I Hear You, and, of course, a ton of insanely good house and techno. – K. A.
Carpenter looked stunning in her all-gold ensemble that glinted in the twilight. This was her Coachella debut. Her microphone was completely covered in crystals. Carpenter, a petite pop star, and a group of dancers performed in front of a desert motel backdrop. The performance was structured around a loose narrative about a turbulent relationship. Carpenter’s songs included “Tornado Warnings,” the live debut of her newest single “Espresso,” and her enormously popular song “Nonsense,” whose outro was rife with fest-centric double entendres: “All about the balls I’m Cinderella/Only use my mouth that’s acapella/I’m so glad you came for me Coachella” — K. B.
Friday night, Chlöe made her Coachella debut alone. Inspired by her mentor Beyoncé, she created a unique hashtag for her set on social media, CHLÖCHELLA. A combination of her well-known songs (beginning with her solo debut single from 2021, “Have Mercy”), her collaboration with Chloe x Halle (“Do It,” which was released following the sister duo’s 2018 Coachella performance), and even the live debut of her recently released new song “Boy Bye” were featured in the assured performance in the Gobi tent. The crowd loved her rendition of Missy Elliott’s sly 2001 single “One Minute Man,” which Chlöe introduced with the line “This one right here is for all my ladies!” before strutting across the stage with a three-piece set in lavender, the song’s original production serving as the accompaniment. — K. An.
Deftones covered “Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want” by the Smiths for their album B-Sides and Rarities in 2005, but it took them almost 20 years to play it live, at the Outdoor Stage on Friday night in front of an enthusiastic audience. Some of the band’s best-known hits were also included in the set list, including songs from the turn of the century like “My Own Summer (Shove It)” and “Change (In the House of Flies).”. – Chris Eggertsen.
With his fiery red hair and red glitter highlighting his face, the incredibly captivating rapper took center stage on the largest stage of the festival, giving a raw and captivating performance that included hits like “All My Friends Are Dead” and “I Do What I Want.”. The artist, dressed in a billowing white shirt that he eventually took off, began the performance by saying that his leg was trembling due to an excess of energy, which he attempted to release by dancing, running across the stage, dipping into the audience, and rolling around on it.
In the middle of the performance, the Philadelphia rapper declared, “I’m pretty sure a lot of you already knew this about me, but what I want to tell you all tonight is, I love you all.” Crowds literally rushed to the stage to greet him, demonstrating that the feeling was mutual. When the artist used the livestream to thank his family, he showed his love for them by saying, “If you’re watching this grandma, I love you.”. My dear Symere, it’s you. Okay, head to bed. “— K. 3.
As the excited crowd waited for Chappell Roan to arrive, a man standing close to the Gobi tent stage remarked, “All the gays are here.”. A leopard print piece of cloth that was hanging from the mic stand danced in the warm breeze, almost like it was teasing the singer’s arrival. When Roan did finally appear, she looked like a vampire, sporting heavy blush, a bejeweled dog collar with a matching cross affixed to her chest, and a top that said “EAT ME” (which she revealed after changing out of the plaid, shoulder-padded suit she had worn earlier in the set). She then passionately performed several songs from her debut studio album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, including “Casual,” “Red Wine Supernova,” and “Pink Pony Club.”. About halfway through, she gave the audience a performance of her most recent song, “Good Luck, Babe!” which is becoming more and more popular on streaming services.
A testament to the powerhouse singer’s steadfast (and expanding) fan base, the overflowing crowd, which was liberally sprinkled with gay men, enthusiastically sang along to every song. Gays have a history of supporting upcoming female pop stars before anyone else does, as even the most casual pop music history student will attest. Based on the fireworks that occurred at the Gobi tent on Friday, it appears that this trend will continue as Roan continues to rise to fame. – C. I. E.
Tinashe took full advantage of the chilly weather for her evening performance at the tented Mojave, putting on nonstop choreography, even for slower-paced, more minimalist songs like “Uh Huh.”. ” When paired with her crisp and soaring vocals, it became clear why she opted for simple lighting over visuals, allowing her talent to take center stage — which she made sure everyone could enjoy. She asked earlier in the set, “I heard that Coachella brings out a lot of bad bitches— where my bad bitches at?” and then she hopped on a section of the stage that raised her several feet above the ground, giving even the fans who were outside the tent a chance to see her perform. – L. H.
For her ethereal performance, Waterhouse wore a white (faux?) fur coat with sleeves adorned with feathers. The Gobi tent had probably never seen a more opulent set than this one, which best summed up the look as “English teatime in the park.”. The singer-songwriter stunned the audience by debuting a flawless cover of Oasis’ “Don’t Look Back in Anger,” so good that even the Brothers Gallagher might have approved, in addition to performing fan favorites like “Johanna” and “Nostalgia” and more recent songs like “Faded” and “OMG.”. C. A. E.
Wearing futuristic-looking blue outfits with white circular shoulder pads, L’Imperatrice played a set full of fun, upbeat songs that went perfectly with the breeze that seemed to pick up while they were playing—which might have been caused by the crowd’s coordinated swaying. A large portion of the band’s set list was taken from their upcoming album Pulsar, which was continuously promoted on the screen behind them. Before the final song of the set, vocalist Flore Benguigui exclaims, “Merci beaucoup!”. The wind increased in tandem with the booming bass and slinky synths, creating a set that was awesome in a lot of ways. – L. H.
Flames and sparks shot out from the main stage, signaling to the thronging crowd that Young Miko was about to shake things up at the festival, as a 44-second countdown clicked on an enormous boombox. After performing “Mona Lisa” as the first song of her set from atop a boombox with her live backing band, Miko stood with her feet together and her arms out, soaking up the chants of her name. She said, “Ya dig? Let’s f—ing get it.”. Miko jam-packed the set with new songs and hits from her recently released debut album, att. By the end of her performance, she had demonstrated that she would undoubtedly return to this same stage one day as the featured performer. – L. Ha.
Coachella’s stage debuts are always a reaction to a wider musical trend; Quasar’s presence this year signifies the popularity of and demand for house music in its original form—long, hard, and intense sets.
Quasar’s Friday night festival debut was a huge success, drawing a sprawling crowd that danced (like really dancing) to one such XXL set by Chicago house titan Honey Dijon, who performed solo before going b2b with fellow Chicagoan Green Velvet. Quasar was built this year to provide a space for such 2-3 DJ hour DJ sets. Along with the sound design of the stage, the location of it is superb; visitors must pass Quasar to reach the dance-oriented Sahara Tent. This move will undoubtedly win over new house music fans throughout the festival and establish a whole new frontier for Coachella dance music. – K. B.
