Headliner drama, surprise guests and more: 5 things we’ll remember from Coachella 2023
The dust has flown, the bass has boomed and the suntan lotion bottle is empty, as another edition of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is in the rearview mirror.
This year's fest saw a little bit of everything. The usual stuff, like exciting special guests, one-of-a-kind performances and attendees and performers trying to beat the heat. But Coachella 2023 also featured one thing that has never happened: A headliner performing on Weekend 1 but not on Weekend 2.
Let's delve into the six days of music and madness, and the things that Coachella 2023 will be remembered for.
The curious case of Frank Ocean was ... something
Frank Ocean, who was first supposed to headline the festival in 2020 before it was sidelined by COVID-19, was the Sunday headliner on Weekend 1, and suffice it to say it did not go as planned.
Ocean started almost an hour late, and a rumored large stage piece that included an ice rink was scrapped at the last second. He did show up, singing a shorter-than-advertised set, which was still a momentous moment for Frank Ocean fans in that he hadn't performed live in six years. He sang a few of his and had some interaction with the crowd where he hinted at a new album and later closed his set abruptly, sighting the event's curfew policy.
More: Coachella 2023: Frank Ocean forced to cut long-awaited set short due to curfew rules
The event was also pulled from the YouTube livestream and the various Coachella social media accounts never mentioned Ocean's performance, a rarity for a headliner. The set, as much as it could be called one with a late start and an early finish, left many fans angry and was panned by many on social media.
To no one's surprise, it was announced the Wednesday between the two festival weekends that Ocean would not be back for Weekend 2, a first. He cited a leg injury and doctor's orders for the reason he did not perform the second weekend. "It was chaotic. There is some beauty in chaos. It isn’t what I intended to show but I did enjoy being out there and I’ll see you soon," he said.
He was replaced as a headliner by Blink-182, the alt-punk band who was a late addition to the lineup for Weekend 1. They played the Sahara tent on Friday of the first weekend and then the Coachella Stage (main stage) on Sunday for Weekend 1.
More: Coachella 2023: Blink-182 rocks the Sahara tent, warns of 'Dalai Lama kissing booth'
Also to fill the Sunday night Ocean-sized gap, the trio of DJs Skrillex, Four Tet and Fred Again were added to the Weekend 2 bill.
More: Coachella 2023: Skrillex, Four Tet and Fred Again close out festival on a high note
Surprise guests continue to keep eventgoers on their toes
Surprise guests are a big part of the Coachella experience. Seeing one can make your day, missing one that happened on a nearby stage can be a bummer. This year, the king of the special guest was Labrinth — a British singer, rapper and producer.
Labrinth has worked with some of the biggest names in hip-hop including Beyonce, Kanye West and The Weeknd, but he's received a ton of praise recently for providing the score to the hit TV show "Euphoria."
During his Weekend 1 set, he brought out Billie Eilish, much to the delight of stunned attendees in the Mojave tent, but he was just getting started. On Weekend 2, he first brought out Sia with Maddie Ziegler and then brought the house down near the end of his set by bringing out none other than Zendaya, a nod to his "Euphoria" ties. She sang the song "All For Us" as fans scrambled to capture the moment on their phones.
But Labrinth wasn't the only star to bring out fan favorites to accent their sets. Here is a partial list of some of the more memorable unscheduled appearances by acts who were not already performing at this year's fest.
H.E.R. was one of a litany of guests brought out by Kaytranada on Friday of Weekend 2, including Anderson .Paak and Tinashe
Post Malone joined Bad Bunny during Weekend 1
Ellie Goulding joined Calvin Harris on Weekend 1
Peso Pluma was among the guests with Becky G on Weekend 1, which also included Marca MP and rapper Jesus Ortiz Paz
Troye Sivan joined Charlie XCX on Weekend 1
Rauw Alejandro jumped up with his fiancé, Rosalía, during Weekend 1
Ciara played to a roaring crowd with Jackson Wang during Weekend 1
The Weeknd was part of a full squad of guests with Metro Boomin during Weekend 1, which included Future, 21 Savage, Diddy and John Legend
La Roux sang her megahit "Bulletproof" with Chromeo both weekends
Steve Lacy caused a rush toward the front of the stage when he came out with Flousheé on Weekend 2
Jaden Smith played with two different acts this year: Both ?Teo? and his sister WILLOW
Drones had a moment (and I bet we'll see more of them)
Aerial drone shows were all the rage at Coachella this year for the first time. Two of the biggest Coachella Stage (main stage) acts utilized drones as part of their act, but in very different ways.
BLACKPINK had an impressive drone show, about 10-12 minutes long preceding their show on both weekends. The drones, numbering close to a thousand, created moving images in the sky of a butterfly, or the famous Coachella astronaut, or a swan swimming across the water.
It was pretty spectacular. As one attendee within earshot said, "What they can do with these drones, I mean, sucks to be fireworks."
Unlike BLACKPINK, which used the drone show as a warmup act, Icelandic Coachella staple Bj?rk used them as part of her set both weekends. While she sang with a large orchestra, a field of drones (864 to be exact) were in the air, providing more of a mood than any specific objects. Like a calm blue wave when the song required it or a chaotic spider web of mix-matched drones and colors when the song was chaotic. It was a clever use of the little flying machines to add to a show without being a distraction.
Its diverse bill was the event's main strength
For the first time ever, or for Weekend 1 at least, the lineup did not have a white male or female headliner. Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny, unstoppable K-Pop force BLACKPINK and Ocean, combined to create without a doubt the most diverse group of headliners ever. The move seemed to be a hit, as each one brought a different but colossal audience to the Coachella Stage.
Coachella organizers often react to the current state of music and the ongoing boom of Spanish-language music was expressed in the number of high- and low-profile acts on this year's bill, which included Becky G, Rosalía, Bratty, Eladio Carrión, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, Conexión Divina and Desert Hot Springs' own DannyLux, to name more than a few.
Technical difficulties were the event's downfall
With around 160 acts on the bill over the course of three days each weekend, there are bound to be a few technical glitches, but there seemed to be more than usual this year — and in some of the most high-profile moments, particularly on Weekend 1. Unfortunately, it became a topic of conversation among attendees at the polo grounds this year.
During his first headlining set, Bad Bunny brought out Post Malone, which would have made for quite a powerful pairing, but Post Malone's mic was basically inaudible, lessening the impact of what would've been a special moment.
Becky G had her microphone die a slow death during the third song of her Weekend 1 set. She handled it like a pro, calmly walking to the side of the stage, getting a replacement and walking back out on stage almost seamlessly. She did tell the crowd something like "Well, stuff happens." Narrator: She didn't say "stuff."
The tween band Linda Lindas, had full-on microphone disaster during Weekend 1 as the four-girl band alternatingly had microphone issues throughout their set. Not sure there was ever a full song with all four girls' mics working. Thankfully their, Weekend 2 set went off without a hitch, but what happened to them the first weekend was a shame.
Shad Powers is a columnist for The Desert Sun. Reach him at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Frank Ocean, Zendaya and more: 5 things to remember from Coachella 2023
