Coachella’s winners and losers
Surprise cameos, platinum wigs, broken bones and a small earthquake. Another year of Coachella brought a whirlwind of colourful, chaotic energy to the vibrant desert music festival over two weekends in Indio, Calif. The rest of us at home soaked up the revelry and vibrations on social media — enough to compile a list of Coachella’s winners and losers.
WINNERS Shakira trekked to the desert for a surprise cameo and big news for Latin music fans.
Bizarrap was kicking off his Coachella debut on the Sahara Stage on April 12 when “La loba se viene” — translated to “The wolf is coming” — flashed across the screen behind him. Within seconds, the she wolf herself appeared onstage in a fiery ensemble to crash the Argentine DJ’S set, performing La Fuerte, from her album released last month.
But that wasn’t all. “We’re going on tour!” she said, to roaring cheers. “Starting here this November, this year, in this city! Can’t wait!”
Tyler, the Creator’s ‘Earfquake’
The rapper lived up to his top billing on both weekends, sparing little in terms of visuals and guest appearances. On both weekends, the khaki-clad musician and fashion designer delivered high-octane performances complemented by a charismatic cast of supporting characters: A$AP Rocky, Childish Gambino and Charlie Wilson, a.k.a. Uncle Charlie.
Olivia Rodrigo channels No Doubt
No Doubt reunited for performances on both weekends of the music festival, fronted by a 54-year-old Gwen Stefani who bore an uncanny resemblance to a 27-year-old Gwen Stefani. Joining the band the first weekend was ’90s grrrl heir apparent Olivia Rodrigo, donning an iconic Stefani ensemble: a white, bedazzled man’s undershirt, visible tomato-red bra straps and mid-rise navy blue trousers.
The Varsity team: Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce
In the midst of a banner year for the couple (a Super Bowl championship, a big Grammys win and a new album), Swift and Kelce escaped to Coachella for a desert festival date. They were spotted mingling with Sabrina Carpenter and her rumoured boyfriend Barry Keoghan at Ice Spice’s set. They danced backstage to the Bleachers, which is fronted by Swift’s longtime collaborator Jack Antonoff.
LOSERS
Grimes’s technical difficulties
The biggest news out of Weekend 1 in Indio was Grimes’s disastrous set. The electronic artist and DJ (and the mother of three of Elon Musks’s children) screamed out of frustration during her performance during the first weekend, when tracks she prepared started playing at double-speed. “Just don’t blame me because it’s not my fault,” Grimes told the crowd as she scrambled for a solution. The next day, she apologized on X for the debacle.
Blur’s last gig?
Did the Coachella crowd suck, or was Blur simply too old and too British for them? That’s the question we were asking when Blur frontman Damon Albarn scolded the audience during their weekend one performance.
“You can do better than that,” he said in response to their lukewarm reaction. Then: “You’re never seeing us again so you might as well f---ing sing this.”
Albarn did change his tune during the second Coachella weekend, telling the crowd, “I love you Coachella, I love you. Really,” reported the Desert Sun. But Albarn hadn’t seemed to change his mind about future performances, saying: “In the spirit of clarity and truth, this is probably our last gig.”
Kid Cudi breaks his foot
Kid Cudi, who has dipped in and out of the limelight in recent years, abruptly ended his surprise set at Coachella Weekend 2 after leaping off the stage and breaking his foot while his song Memories ironically played in the background. Fan footage posted to social media captured the poor landing along with festival staff carrying him away moments later.