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Coachella 2024 was the 12 months of the A-list friends. Across all three days, prime stars made appearances both onstage or within the crowd to help their musician besties. Olivia Rodrigo joined No Doubt, Will Smith pulled up for J Balvin, Justin Bieber sang with Tems, Billie Eilish threw a last-minute celebration on the DoLab stage, and Shakira even introduced a world tour throughout Bizarrap’s set.
The discuss amongst some festivalgoers forward of Coachella recommended that this 12 months’s lineup may underwhelm, however the variety of stars becoming a member of their pals onstage absolutely helped with that. Plus, the headlining units from Doja Cat, Lana Del Rey, and Tyler, the Creator absolutely did not disappoint.
That’s a wrap on Weekend One! Here are among the greatest issues we noticed at Coachella on Sunday, April 14.
Doja Cat’s post-apocalyptic efficiency
Doja Cat introduced a hard-nosed, hot-blooded spectacle, conceived of pure, unadulterated id. Doja opened with a pattern from Madonna’s biting 1994 anthem “Human Nature” — then blazed via a number of tracks off her 2023 album, Scarlet, similar to “Agora Hills” and “Paint the Town Red.” Sampling Dionne Warwick’s 1964 basic, “Walk On By,” the latter turned Doja’s first Number One hit as a soloist final September.
Doja additionally welcomed 21 Savage, who rapped reverse her within the 2024 monitor, “H. N. I. E.” Bashfully wielding a bouquet of child’s breath, Teezo Touchdown joined Doja for a stay debut of their music “Masc,” as featured in Scarlet 2 CLAUDE, the deluxe version of Scarlet, which dropped final week. A$AP Rocky additionally emerged from backstage, raring to throw all the way down to a steel model of their model new music, “URRRGE!!!!!!!!!!”
Doja omitted her most poppy of songs from her setlist, together with “Say So,” “Woman,” and “Kiss Me More,” her Grammy-winning pop quantity with SZA. As Los Angeles’ largest feminine hip-hop star so far, Doja selected as a substitute to flex her precision as an MC, spitting fireplace in every verse with out lacking a single beat. –S.E.
J Balvin’s new starting
What higher solution to begin a brand new period than with a career-defining Coachella set?
J Balvin delivered one of many best-produced, most fun units of the weekend Sunday night time, as he danced alongside aliens and introduced out the alien exterminator himself — Will Smith, wearing his Men in Black Agent J position, for a rendition of the movie’s theme music. Jada Pinkett Smith (wearing a big fur coat) and Katy Perry have been among the many stars who watched the E.T.-abduction-themed efficiency from the group.
Backed by dancers in Lady Gaga-esque, otherworldly outfits, Balvin jumped between recent hits similar to “Colmillo” (as he welcomed Jowell and Randy) and the Usher-sampling “Dientes,” together with a few of his older tracks like “Ginza” and “La Canción” that had the group leaping. It positive helped to have Tainy behind the turntables to maintain the group going.
“Es una nueva temporada de J Balvin,” he teased onstage: “It’s a new season of J Balvin.” –T.M.
Victoria Monét hosts a consciousness-raising burlesque revue
Encircled by tropical vegetation and a stay funk band, the Mojave stage was transformed into Club Monét on Sunday night time, when Victoria Monét hosted her personal sensual, R&B burlesque revue. For her first act, the Grammy-winning singer and songwriter slinked onto the stage in a pinstriped pimp go well with and cane, breezing via her songs “Alright” and “Cadillac (A Pimp’s Anthem).” She interspersed her setlist with clips from influential songs by Outkast, Aaliyah, Usher, Sister Nancy, and Sexxy Red.
Things received progressively steamier together with her second act, through which she stripped all the way down to a set of lingerie and simulated attractive strikes together with her all-woman dance crew throughout “Friend U Can Keep.” She extolled the virtues of understanding in her efficiency of “Ass Like That,” however made positive to affirm the physique range of these cheering her on within the viewers.
“Whether you get ass shots or it’s natural, it doesn’t matter,” stated Monét. “If it’s real or fake, people will still wanna f—. You look good!”
She made one other present of compassion in her efficiency of “Stop (Askin’ Me 4Shyt),” and changing into one of many few acts at Coachella to sentence assaults on civilians in Gaza, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. “Stop the wars, stop the hate, stop the genocide!” she proclaimed. “We need love. Stop thinking so small. We need to think big, bitch!”
With that time made, she added: “And stop asking for the ‘Alright’ music video, because it’s on the way.” Case closed! —S.E.
Reneé Rapp and Kesha say “fuck P Diddy”
Two big scissors and the solid of the L Word welcomed Reneé Rapp onto the Outdoor Stage Saturday afternoon. Need any extra hints about her sexuality?
The foolish pop singer — wearing a trench coat and black sports activities bra — sang fan favorites like “Colorado” and “Poison Poison.” Rapp knew her crowd nicely, and earlier than “Willow,” she inspired: “If you know this song and you know where the ass shake is at, you should do it.” Then, she gave her set a whole flip, as she welcomed Kesha onstage for a enjoyable rendition of her 2010 hit “Tik Tok” that included a massive “fuck you” to Diddy within the music’s opening line.
Later within the set, Rapp introduced her girlfriend (and fab performer) Towa Bird for a rendition of “Tummy Hurts,” completely tying collectively the sapphic themes of her set to perfection. –T.M.
Carin León builds a bridge between Mexico and Nashville
¡Arriba, la Yeehaw Agenda! Carin León, international ambassador for Mexican heritage music, made his debut on the competition on Sunday afternoon. Blessed by the nice and cozy glow of golden hour, the Sonora native melded roots-music traditions from throughout the U.S. and Mexico, serving the viewers a comforting mix of norteño and American blues and nation.
While followers have been handled to his best hits — amongst them the soulful “Primera Cita,” and “Que Vuelvas” with cumbia stars Grupo Frontera — León flaunted his Nashville bona fides by performing “The One (Pero No Como Yo),” a bilingual duet he recorded with nation star Kane Brown. “Whatever you’re chasing better be a tequila double shot,” sang León in a wealthy, Southern drawl. “‘Cause you know I’m the one!”
Fans kicked up mud by dancing alongside to the brisk tempo of “La Boda del Huitlacoche,” and León almost misplaced his cowboy hat to the wind. Flown in from Miami have been Venezuelan hitmakers Mau y Ricky, who arrived sharply dressed to carry out “Llorar y Llorar” — which was graced by the nostalgic nation really feel of a lap metal guitar. León happy the group additional with a bluesy model of “Te Quiero,” a music by rock en español legends Hombres G; he then knocked it out of the park with a brassy rendition of Selena’s “Si Una Vez.” León will signify Mexico as soon as extra on the upcoming Stagecoach Festival, additionally in Indio, taking place April 26-28 on the Empire Polo Club. —S.E.
Bebe is greater than good: She’s the drama
Bebe Rexha’s received hits. The songwriter-turned-pop-hitmaker packed her 45-minute set with among the largest songs of her profession as she opened with G-Eazy’s “Me, Myself, and I” and “I Got You” and later performed “Call You Mine” and “In the Name of Love,” two DJ collaborations from over the years.
“I started as a songwriter and I always thought I wasn’t cool enough for Coachella, but here I am now. I’m cool now, mothafuckers!” she instructed the group as they set free a roar and she or he teased her subsequent music. “I guess it’s meant to be.”
Rexha even discovered room to preview three unreleased songs: the electrical banger “I’m the Drama,” “Chase It” throughout a dance break, and later, “Beat It Up,” as she shook her ass on the ground alongside her dancers. “Did you like our little onstage orgy?” she joked.
Rexha ended her set with “I’m Good (Blue)” alongside David Guetta, who shared a candy story about discovering the singer again in 2015. Rexha’s a drive to be reckoned with, and she or he really deserved to be on that Coachella most important stage. –T.M.
Catch them when you can: FLO
FLO are type of just like the PowerPuff Girls, if the trio’s superpower was harmonizing gorgeously. The British R&B trio — Renée Downer, Jorja Douglas, and Stella Quaresma — proved to be some of the thrilling acts at Coachella all weekend, as they packed their 45-minute set with good choreo and beautiful vocals.
The group carried out songs similar to “Summertime” and “Immature” (“We’re leaving immature men in the past. That ends today,” instructed Douglas) from their debut EP, The Lead, earlier than summoning the power of the Nineties with their Missy Elliott-sampling “Fly Girl.”
The ladies coated En Vogue’s “Don’t Let Go” and Destiny’s Child “Bootylicious” earlier than performing their monitor “Feature Me” with Janet Jackson’s “I Get Lonely.” The efficiency recommended a trio that’s nicely on their solution to changing into the most important stars. – T.M.
Lil Yachty surprises followers with Mac DeMarco cameo
Atlanta’s Lil Yachty captained an eclectic set on Sunday night contained in the Mojave tent. Standing on the helm of his personal makeshift ship, bearing his nickname “Lil Boat,” Yachty principally carried out songs from his latest report, 2023’s Let’s Start Here. An experimental foray into the realm of psych-rock, with assists from members of Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Chairlift, and MGMT, it’s an album almost made for Coachella.
Onstage, Yachty broke the hypnagogic spell he’d solid on his followers, who responded with hair-raising shrieks as he referred to as indie celebrity Mac DeMarco to the stage. “Sing with Daddy,” DeMarco stated to the viewers, earlier than becoming a member of Yachty in serenading followers along with his personal songs “On the Level” and “Chamber of Reflection.” Yachty sailed effortlessly into his older lure numbers “Broccoli” and “Minnestota” — however his set crescendoed with a rousing efficiency of his art-rock music “I’ve Officially Lost Vision!!!!” —S.E.
