Coachella Sunday’s are always when it starts to feel like a marathon and not a sprint. But the weather was perfect in the mid 70’s for the finale of Coachella 2024 Weekend One.
We started our day with Ludmilla who entered wearing a gold breastplate ensemble flanked by backup dancers in all black in an elaborate stage setup for the main stage opener. She even made Coachella history as the first Afro-Latina woman to grace the main stage. The Brazilian born singer was a great start to Day 3.
YG Marley was up next on the main stage. YG is the son of Lauryn Hill and Rohan Marley so it was no surprise to see Lauryn come out and join her son with Wyclef John in his first Coachella appearance. Lauryn sang some of her own and Fugees hit songs like “Killing Me Softly With His Song” and “Ready or Not.” The stage LED screen flashed with civil rights heroes throughout the set and a man carrying a giant Jamaican flag marched across the stage providing the perfect background for photos.
LQBTQ+ advocate Reneé Rapp was one of the most anticipated performances of the day. She was introduced by stars of her favorite TV show “The L-word” and took the stage in a black crop top and jacket with the background of giant scissors behind her. She did not disappoint fans and even brought out Kesha to perform “Tik Tok” late in her 50-minute set. Due to the recent allegations on P. Diddy, who is mentioned in the song, the pair changed the lyrics to: “Wake up in the morning like ‘F*** P. Diddy.’”
K-pop and J-pop representation was strong at this year’s festival as 88 Rising presented future stars of the genre including Awich, BiBi, Lilas Ikuta and more. BiBi’s and Number_i’s sets brought out favorite rapper and singer Jackson Wang to join them onstage and the crowd went crazy. BiBi and Jackson sang an unreleased song called “Feeling Lucky.”
NAV had a packed house at the Sahara partially because The Weeknd teased he was there to join the rapper in photos on IG but to everyone’s disappointment, Abel did not make an appearance onstage. NAV was joined by Metro Boomin as a surprise guest to perform “Like That.” The pair has known each other since the late 2010’s, evident in their carefree chemistry on stage.
Bebe Rexha and Victoria Monét were head to head with their performance making fans choose between the two ladies for their performances. Bebe Rexha and her dancers were dressed in all black with a touch of silver highlights. Belting out one hit to another, The New York native even brought out DJ David Guetta for a finale performance of their hit song “I’m Good (Blue).”
Victoria Monét served up her smooth vocals and contagious beats in a gorgeous sparkly red bodysuit. During her set featuring a cover of Usher’s “Nice & Slow,” the Jaguar singer called for peace amidst the wars in the Middle East. After her performance, she shared her excitement on social media that Beyoncé unexpectedly sent her flowers to congratulate her on her Coachella debut.
Khruangbin brought their instrumental magic and far out color stage display to the Outdoor stage at sunset. The Texas trio said everything they needed to say through music alone, leaving the crowd immersed in the sounds of psychedelic rock. This band was perfect to relax to as we all were winding down for the night before the next big performances.
J. Balvin is always one of our favorite festival performers. He never does the same set twice and always brings the Reggaeton remixes to life on stage. He brought an alien universe to life with a silver avocado-shaped flying saucer and a dozen background dancers. Only he could be saved from aliens from Will Smith rapping “Men In Black” in full costume during his set. The audience was stunned, but warmed up to the nostalgic extraterrestrial appearance.
Lil Yachty brought his big Lil Boat stage setup to the Mojave tent. I honestly have no idea what feat of engineering was required to place the giant boat on the stage in the tent but it was impressive. Yachty stood on the front of the ship and belted out his hit songs “Poland” and “One Night” and was joined by friends the Concrete Boys, Justine Skye, and Mac DeMarco throughout the set.
Over in Mojave, Tems was providing a big surprise for the crowd bringing out Justin Beiber and Wizkid to perform “Essence.” Tems, in a beautiful sparkly black gown, looked stunning singing next to the comfortably dressed Beiber who sported a hoodie and baseball cap. The crowd went absolutely wild. You really can’t anticipate who the surprise cameo appearances will be, making them even more exciting.
ATARASHII GAKKO! were one of our new surprises of the day. This J-Pop band almost brings anime to life with their costume changes and stage setups. Their fiercely energetic set kept the crowd engaged the entire time, wondering what costume or set piece was coming next. They dance and sing and we were addicted to wanting more of their performance. It was so much fun!
Doja Cat was the winner of Coachella in our world! She always brings the show and this time was no different. The setup began as dancers in hazmat suits sprayed a cloud of sanitizing spray over the stage and crowd and Doja emerged in a full contagion outfit with a gas mask from the center stage.
The show continued as she moved to the main stage in a glitter bodysuit and long blonde wig joined by a herd of Yeti’s to dance and sing. The singer did six costume changes and even left the crowd in awe at the second stage as she gyrated and played in mud with her dance crew. It was a charged performance that was crazy to watch from beginning to end becasue you just really didn’t know what might happen next.
Overall Coachella was a success with tons of guest appearances and surprises around every turn. From Lana Del Rey’s old glamor set, Gwen Stefani taking us on a nostalgic 90’s and 00’s trip, and Doja Cat reminding us that she can indeed have fun in the mud, Weekend One of Coachella did not disappoint.
We can’t wait to go back for more during Weekend Two starting Friday to see what surprises are in store. This week could be hard to beat in weirdness, but we are counting on Weekend Two to make us believe otherwise. Tickets are still on sale here, so grab some before they are gone!