Music News

Expectations were high for the French duo’s headlining set on the Outdoor Stage, with the performance serving as the debut of their first new live show in years. Coming ahead of the release of their fourth studio album, Hyperdrama, later this month, this new show satisfied every hope and then some, with the stage setup’s complicated amalgamation of lights and mirrors morphing into a series of striking, spare and often shimmering shapes during the course of the performance. The music itself leaned heavily into tracks from the new album deftly woven with classics including “D.A.N.C.E.”, “We Are Your Friends” and “Love S.O.S.”, with the end of the set also dipping heavily into gabber and thereby drawing out Hyperdrama‘s disco and hardcore influence. Altogether an impeccable and truly stunning show from Billboard‘s current cover artists. – Katie Bain

“Coachella!” screams Peso Pluma, signaling the beginning of his set, which served as night one’s pre-headliner — a.k.a. the last main stage performance before Lana Del Rey. After performing his opening track while wearing a slightly see-through mask — as though he pulled a pair of tights over his eyes — he tore it off in a celebratory manner, revealing his signature haircut and giving him a clearer look at the crowd that had gathered to see him play. Minutes later, he had another reveal in store, telling fans, “This is a special song for me,” as he welcomed Becky G to the stage for a performance of “Chanel.” And that wasn’t all: Throughout the set, Peso also welcomed Junior H for “El Azul,” Santa Fe Klan for “No Son Klle” and, finally, Arcángel for “Peso Completo,” off Peso’s upcoming album, Éxodo, which arrives this summer. “Muchas gracias Coachella,” concluded Peso. “Arriba Mexico!” – Lyndsey Havens

After beginning his highly-attended evening set at the Sahara tent with what felt like a late-night rave — mixing on boards that surrounded him in a semicircle — Bizarrap, wearing his signature hat and sunglasses, delivered on an earlier promise. As he had teased online prior to his set, near the halfway mark the legendary Shakira stepped on stage not only for a surprise performance but an even bigger surprise announcement: After performing “La Fuerte,” the pair revealed they’re heading out on a world tour together. “Finally we’re going on tour — starting here, in November! In this city!” Shakira declared. To celebrate, they then tore into a live rendition of Shak’s eviscerating “Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53” — teasing what is sure to be an unmissable trek ahead. – L.H.

The eight-member South Korean boy band ATEEZ repped for K-pop on Day 1 as the final performers of the night on the Sahara stage. They were a good fit for the dance-heavy tent, given their impeccably precise choreography to go with their 10-song setlist of guitar-heavy pop smashes, including “ARRIBA,” “BOUNCY (K-HOT CHILLI PEPPERS)” and wrapping with a rock version of “Wonderland.” Mid-set, rapper/songwriter Hongjoon paused to marvel at how far the group — which scored their first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 in December with The World EP.Fin : Will — has come from their early days. “I think the first time we came to LA was about six years ago,” he recalled of their first trip to Southern California. “We were practicing like crazy in a tiny little studio to get a chance to debut. They say dream big, but I don’t think I ever imagined being here at Coachella. Dreams really do come true!” — Katie Atkinson

Gou played in the biggest version of the Sahara Tent that Coachella has ever seen, and even it wasn’t big enough to contain the crowd that gathered to see her. The South Korea-born, Berlin-based producer performed in tandem with a crew of six extremely fabulous dancers, commanding the stage while playing a set including music by The Chemical Brothers, a “Murder On The Dancefloor” edit, her 2023 hit “It Goes Like (Nanana),” other music from her forthcoming album, I Hear You, and, of course, a whole bunch of banging house and techno, too. – K.B.

In an all-gold outfit that shimmered against the setting sun, Carpenter was resplendent during her Coachella debut. Even her mic was covered in crystals. Performing in front of a backdrop designed like a desert motel, the petite pop star and a cadre of dancers playacted a loose narrative about a turbulent relationship that was woven through the performance, a narrative structure during which Carpenter performed songs like “Tornado Warnings,” the live debut of her brand newest single “Espresso” and her colossally popular “Nonsense,” the outro to which was steeped in fest-centric double entendre: “All about the balls I’m Cinderella/Only use my mouth that’s acapella/I’m so glad you came for me Coachella” — K.B.

When Chlöe made her solo Coachella debut Friday night, she followed in mentor Beyoncé’s footsteps by inspiring a custom moniker for her set on social media: #CHLÖCHELLA. The confident performance in the Gobi tent was a mix of her established songs (kicking off with 2021 debut solo single “Have Mercy”), her work in Chloe x Halle (“Do It,” which came out after the sister duo played Coachella in 2018) and even the live premiere of her just-released new song “Boy Bye.” A fan-favorite highlight was her cover of Missy Elliott’s cheeky 2001 single “One Minute Man,” which Chlöe introduced by saying, “This one right here is for all my ladies!,” before strutting across the stage in a lavender three-piece set, backed by the song’s original production. — K.A.

Though Deftones first recorded a Smiths cover of “Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want” for their 2005 album B-Sides & Rarities, it took them nearly 20 years to perform it live — Friday night, to be exact, while playing to a packed crowd at the Outdoor Stage. The setlist also included some of the band’s best-known hits, including such turn-of-the-century favorites as “My Own Summer (Shove It)” and “Change (In the House of Flies).” – Chris Eggertsen

His face highlighted with red glitter that matched his red hair, the intensely charismatic rapper made the festival’s biggest stage his own during a raw, magnetic performance that found him performing hits like “All My Friends Are Dead” and “I Do What I Want.” Starting the show in a billowing white shirt that he eventually removed, the artist announced that his leg was shaking because he had too much energy, which he worked to expend while dancing, running back and forth across the space, dipping into the crowd and rolling around on the stage.

“I’m pretty sure a lot of you already knew this about me, but what I want to tell you all tonight is, I love you all,” the Philadelphia rapper announced mid-way through the show, and with groups of people literally running towards the stage to see him, the sentiment clearly went both ways. This love extended into the livestream, too, when the artist took the opportunity to shout out his family, saying “If you’re watching this grandma, I love you. It’s your boo Symere. Alright, go to bed.” — K.B.

“All the gays are here,” said a man standing near the Gobi tent stage as the buzzing crowd awaited Chappell Roan’s entrance. Hanging from the mic stand, a leopard print piece of fabric danced in the warm breeze, as if teasing the singer’s arrival. When Roan finally materialized — in white vampire makeup, heavy blush and bejeweled dog collar with matching cross affixed to her chest, not to mention a top bearing the words “EAT ME” (revealed after she changed out of a plaid, shoulder-padded suit worn early in the set) — she launched into an impassioned performance of several hits from her debut studio album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, from “Casual” to “Red Wine Supernova” to “Pink Pony Club.” About midway through, she also treated the crowd to a rendition of her newest track, “Good Luck, Babe!”, which is currently gaining momentum on streaming platforms.

The spilling-over crowd — yes, peppered liberally with gay men — sang along enthusiastically to every song, a testament to the powerhouse singer’s rock-solid (and growing) fanbase. As any even casual student of pop music history knows, the gays have a habit of becoming early supporters of future female pop superstars — and judging from the sparks that flew at the Gobi tent on Friday, the pattern seems likely to repeat as Roan continues her ascendance. – C.E.

For her sunset performance at the tented Mojave, Tinashe took full advantage of the cooler temperatures by performing non-stop choreography — even on slower tempo, minimalistic songs like “Uh Huh.” When paired with her crisp and soaring vocals, it became clear why she opted for simple lighting over visuals, allowing her talent to take center stage — which she made sure everyone could enjoy. After asking, “I heard that Coachella brings out a lot of bad bitches — where my bad bitches at?” earlier in the set, she hopped on a portion of the stage that raised her several feet in the air, offering even the fans that extended well beyond the tent an opportunity to see her in action. – L.H.

Waterhouse wore a white (faux?) fur coat with feathered sleeves for her ethereal performance, during which she was embedded in one of the more luxurious sets the Gobi tent has likely ever seen (the aesthetic could perhaps best be described as “English teatime in the park”). In addition to performing fan-favorite tracks like “Johanna” and “Nostalgia” as well as newer songs like “Faded” and “OMG,” the singer-songwriter surprised the crowd by debuting a pitch-perfect cover of Oasis‘ “Don’t Look Back in Anger” so solid even the Brothers Gallagher themselves may have approved. – C.E.

Dressed in futuristic-inspired blue outfits with white circular shoulder pads, L’Imperatrice delivered a set filled with groovy riffs and general good vibes that perfectly complemented the breeze that seemed to pick up while they played, which could very well have been generated by the crowd’s synchronized swaying. Much of the setlist came from the band’s forthcoming album, Pulsar, which was advertised on the screen behind them throughout. “Merci beaucoup!” says vocalist Flore Benguigui ahead of the set’s last song. As the slinky synths and booming bass picked up, so too did the wind — culminating in a set that was cool in more ways than one. – L.H.

As a 44-second countdown click began to tick down on a larger-than-life-sized boombox, flames and sparks ignited from the main stage — alerting the growing crowd that Young Miko was about to wake the festival up. After opening her set with “Mona Lisa,” which she performed from atop the boombox surrounded by her live backing band, Miko stood with feet together and arms extended out, basking in the chants of her name. “Let’s f—ing get it, ya dig?” she said. Miko packed the set with familiar hits and new material off her recently released debut album, att. And by the set’s end, she proved that one day she will surely be back on this same stage — as its headliner. – L.H.

The debut of a new stage at Coachella is always a response to a broader musical trend, with this year’s addition of Quasar marking the dominance of and demand for house music played in its native format: sets that go long, hard and deep.

Built this year to provide a space for such 2-3 DJ hour DJ sets, Quasar’s Friday night festival debut was a home run, with a sprawling crowd dancing (like really dancing) to one such XXL set by Chicago house titan Honey Dijon, who played solo before going b2b by fellow Chicagoan Green Velvet. Like the stage’s sound, its placement is impeccable, with attendees needing to walk by Quasar in order to get to the also-dance-focused Sahara Tent — a move that will no doubt create some new house fans over the course of the festival, while also staking out a huge new territory for dance music at Coachella. – K.B.