On Saturday, Coachella festival goers were transported back to SoCal 1995 as No Doubt and Sublime took over the main stage, The Aquabats were in the house, OJ Simpson jokes were made and Blur’s frontman Damon Albarn insulted fans from the stage.
It was a hazy day at the fest with an air quality advisory after 30 mph wind gusts Friday night brought in the dust. Saturday was by far the most stacked lineup of the weekend making for some very tough decisions on which artists to see live.
I arrived at the festival early and was pleasantly surprised to find the beloved characters from Yo Gabba Gabba touring the festival grounds promoting the return of their show in May. It was a scene that could only happen at Coachella where the surprise appearances are never ending.
Danish R&B singer Erika de Casier took over the Gobi tent early in the day with her laid-back style. As her set began, a small crowd began to gather and grow, enthralled by her modern take on the classic sounds from the 90’s and 00’s. She performed songs from all three of her released albums during a 45-minute set, where many festival goers experienced the nostalgia of the music they grew up listening to.
Next up, The Aquabats took over the Sonora stage. The band is a cult favorite, dressing and acting as crime-fighting superheroes, and had a packed crowd in the dome. Yo Gabba Gabba even joined them on stage for songs “Super Rad!” and “Pool Party!” In addition to huge balloons floating through the crowd they also had giant inflatables shaped like pizzas for fans to ride on as they crowd surfed in the set.
We always love to see British singer RAYE at any festival where she makes an appearance. During weekend 1 she made a statement with her “business chic” attire and was a standout performance of the day with her stellar vocals, funny anecdotes and stories she tells throughout the set. She never disappoints and reminds us of an old-school vibe where music and vocals take center stage. The crowd was captivated by her intense emotion.
Thuy was next in GOBI and brought the energy. The Vietnamese-American singer and songwriter gained a loyal following from her popularity on TikTok. Thuy and her dancers truly brought a party to the stage dressed in all brown, tattered desert-esque outfits, dancing the night away. Her catchy R&B and dreamlike melodies packed the GOBI tent, leaving the crowd pouring out the sides to be a part of the party.
Vampire Weekend was a last-minute addition to the festival and did not disappoint on the Outdoor stage in the 5 p.m. slot. They played 8 songs and 1 mash-up in their short 45-minute set leaving fans wanting more. During their mash-up of songs called “Cocaine Cowboys,” Paris Hilton joined them on stage in an all-black cowboy outfit, playing cornhole with Abraham Lincoln for gold bars. After this fever dream, we can’t wait to see who the Coachella gods have in store for next week in this 5 p.m. time slot.
Kevin Abstract made his solo debut at the festival in Mojave after leaving Brockhampton to strike out on his own as a solo artist. It was so good that we want to catch this whole set next week. To begin the set, Kevin performed a surprise duet cover of Lady A’s “Need You Now” with Sky Ferreira. His chill but rhythmic and catchy tunes brought the crowd to life during the rest of his set. Guest artist Dominic Fike joined Kevin to sing “Crumble” and “Peach” and Quedeca came out to perform “TEXAS BLUE” alongside the rapper.
The Last Dinner Party was a new discovery this year and we loved every minute of this girl power group dressed in Victorian clothes. The group had a witchy vibe and a big crowd in the GOBI tent and we see big things in their future. We love to see all female bands rocking out on stages every single time. They played some songs from their chart-topping album Prelude to Ecstasy and ended with their top streamed song “Nothing Matters.”
Sublime took the stage, reuniting as Jakob Nowell took over for his late father Bradley who was the front man of the group until 1996. The band performed with the same SoCal vibes it’s had for ages. The crowd joined in singing classics like “Santeria” and “What I Got,” echoing the lyrics across Indio for everyone to hear. It was both nostalgic and emotional for fans to see this band come to life with Jakob as the singer.
Blxst had a delayed start but we were happy because this became one of our new finds for Weekend One at the festival. The rapper from Los Angeles took the stage emerging from a classic car on his EVGLE and SON Chaffeur Service stage setup in an all denim studded outfit. He sang 15 songs, one of which was a fantastic cover of Kendrick Lamar’s “Die Hard.”
Bleachers took over MOJAVE at 6:50 p.m. and this is where we got our first Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce sighting of the weekend. Taylor was obviously on hand to support her long-time producer Jack Antonoff as he took the stage. She could be seen with Travis side stage dancing and enjoying the set. The band brought some of the highest energy we had seen yet.
Back in the land of the Sahara tent, Grimes was struggling through technical issues during the second part of her set. Somehow, her tracks were double their original speed, causing Grimes to yell in frustration a few times as she struggled to fix the issue. She has spoken out on X after the set saying she promises to deliver something better for the Weekend Two crowd. We may make the trip out next weekend to check it out in person.
One of my all-time favorites, Jon Batiste took the stage on the Outdoor stage as the sun was setting. The crowd was light because there was a surprise announcement on social media that Billie Eilish and friends were taking over the Do LaB Stage. I was all smiles as Jon sang, danced and played every instrument across the stage. As “Freedom” played you can’t help but dance. During his song “Be Who You Are,” Willow Smith made a surprise appearance and sang her heart out with Jon.
Blur made their comeback on the main stage for a 60-minute set with mixed emotions from the crowd. It appeared like many of the festival attendees weren’t familiar with the alt rock legends music and couldn’t sing along which upset lead singer Damon Albarn causing him to tell guests “You’ll never see us again.” Despite the unenthusiastic crowd, Blur is still set to perform next weekend. Hopefully festival goers will brush up on the band’s music in the meantime.
After we took in the first part of the Blur set we made our way to the Do LaB and fought the crowd to get a glimpse of Billie Eilish and Friends. Eillish was dressed in a blue Los Angeles jersey, baggy denim shorts, and sporting some Air Jordans. She was joined by so many people it was hard to make out who was in attendance. We saw her brother Finneas, TYGA, and Rebecca Black just to name a few. Billie sang, danced and engaged with fans throughout the 40-minute surprise set. She previewed songs: “Lunch,” “L’Amour de ma vie,” and “Chihiro” off her upcoming album Hit Me Hard And Soft to the crowd, who roared in excitement.
Next, we went to see Ice Spice over at the Sahara stage with fiery orange hair and an all-black woven outfit. She performed to the massive crowd that included Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce front and center. Taylor was joined in the VIP area by Justin Bieber, Sabrina Carpenter, Saltburn actor Barry Keoghan, and in a weird turn of Coachella events Teresa Giudice from the Real Housewives of NJ.
Ice Spice even called out and thanked Taylor as she performed her rendition of “Karma” on the big stage. She surprised the crowd with a preview of her unnamed upcoming song that features a sample of Sean Paul’s 2005 song “Gimme The Light.”
No Doubt started their performance rising from the B stage out in the middle of the crowd to perform “Hella Good.” On song two Gwen and crew made their way to the main stage to bring the iconic SKA band to life for fans for the first time in 15 years. It was like they picked up and never missed a day as they belted through their catalog of hits.
From the aerial view, No Doubt had the biggest crowd of the entire weekend of the festival so it was apparent everyone was happy to se the Orange County natives bring their music back to life at the festival.
Olivia Rodrigo joined the band on stage for “Bathwater” to the surprise of everyone at the festival on Saturday night. Rodrigo is currently on one of the biggest arena tours of 2024 and she didn’t hold back her excitement as she joined the band to perform in this massive setting for the first time.
Tyler the Creator exploded onto the Coachella stage after a video played of him staying in an RV weirdly making too many eggs. The RV on stage exploded and Tyler flew out on wires as the side of the RV blew off in a cloud of smoke and fire. He played a whopping 22 songs like favorites “NEW MAGIC WAND” and “Yonkers” and brought out several guests: Childish Gambino, A$AP Rocky, Charlie Wilson, and Kali Uchis. In typical Tyler fashion he reminded the crowd he used to hate Childish Gambino and A$AP Rocky but now has love for his featured guests.
We heard Rihanna was on hand to see her man perform but we didn’t get a glimpse of the pop super star.
Day 2 was full of surprises and some weird but fun experiences. Stay tuned for our Day 3 recap on Weekend 1 of Coachella 2024.