THE FIRST DAY OF COACHELLA WAS PACKED WITH MAJOR ARTISTS MAKING MOVES, WHILE THE SECOND DAY SEEM TO CENTER ON SIMPLE POP. Sunday, day three, featured the most diverse lineup of the weekend, with all genres represented on every stage. The Argentine rock band Los Fabulosos Cadillacs got people dancing in the early afternoon, followed by GloRilla’s hard-hitting bars. Kali Uchis captivated the audience with her luxe brand of R&B, and Björk transformed the festival into avant-garde art in one of the evening’s most impressive and intricate performances.
Everything seemed to be building up to Frank Ocean’s much-anticipated headlining set, his first in six years. People swarmed the festival grounds, trying to get as close to the stage as possible, and the crowd spilled out far beyond the stage area. Ocean finally appeared more than an hour later than planned, and his performance was a mix of vulnerability and confusion as the festival’s reluctant star came to a close. Here’s what else we liked on Sunday.
Porter Robinson’s Fond Farewell to ‘Nurture’
Porter Robinson has reached the end of his career. The electronic musician gave an emotional performance on the main stage to say goodbye to the tour, which is centered on his most personal album to date, 2021’s Nurture. He’s come a long way, from learning to pluck notes on the guitar to writing “Everything Goes On” for League of Legends to semi-acoustically performing nearly half of his synth-pop tracks — songs like “Trying to Feel Alive,” “Language,” and “Unfold” — with a live band. His pure love of making music shone through more than anything else.
Porter wore his heart on the sleeve of his “Music Saved My Life” shirt, juxtaposing a blue-sky-filled screen with flashing text like “EVERYTHING WE NEED IS ALREADY HERE” and “FUCK THE OPPS,” and working surprise guest appearances (Madeon included). —S.A
DJ Crystall Mess’ Part of Frank Ocean’s Set
Frank Ocean’s performance had its ups and downs, but one performer who stood out was DJ Crystall Mess, who took over the set at one point and mixed Nineties house with Ocean songs like “Slide” and “Pyramids,” as well as Ice Spice’s “In Ha Mood.” Though Ocean was mostly offstage during the interlude, it appeared to be a tribute to the parties the elusive singer threw in New York before “shit started going down” in 2020, as he put it onstage.
“It’s good that it’s not always about me, so I wanted to bring a little of that,” he said after Crystall Mess finished. It was the kind of energy that more of his performance could have benefited from. —T.M
Björk’s Orchestra of the Senses
Björk’s performance was a theatrical symphony of the senses, backed by a Hollywood string ensemble conducted by Bjarni Frimann and featuring 100 drones weaving and shifting colors in time to the music. Her almost otherworldly voice pierced through her most popular tracks, including “Joga,” “Quicksand,” and “Isobel,” sounding like a scene from The Fifth Element. We’d also be remiss if we didn’t mention her outfits, which included a spiky top with a stiff plastic skirt and an encore outfit with an iridescent, tendril-like cage. Björk, as one of only nine acts to have headlined Coachella multiple times, was asked a question: How would she top her previous, legendary performances? Surprisingly, she did. “We’re going to do a string version of a techno song,” she announced before the frantic encore “Pluto.” “Let’s wait and see how it goes.” —S.A.
Sudan Archives Powers Through
Sudan Archives’ entire performance was nearly derailed by yet another technical failure at Coachella. Fans waited nearly 20 minutes after her set was supposed to begin at the Sonora stage, and when she did emerge, she appeared to struggle to get her microphones to work. After nearly 40 minutes, she yelled, “Alright, let’s fucking do this!” With her violin in hand, she launched into a brief but powerful set that included the standout “Selfish Soul.” Despite the fact that her set was cut short — and that Frank Ocean was scheduled to begin before she finished — many fans remained, so enthralled by her sound that they were willing to miss the headliner. —J.L.
GloChella: Real and Ratchet
“I don’t know how many ratchet bitches we have in the audience, but there’s one right here,” GloRilla told the audience during her main stage performance in the early afternoon. The rap star repped Memphis as she showcased the streets she grew up on in the set design behind her, backed by nine backup dancers. GloRilla was joined on “Ex’s” and “Back in Blood” by Lil Durk, and later by Moneybagg Yo on “On Wat U On.” She also paid tribute to Gansta Boo, performing a cover of her song “Where Dem Dollas At” and displaying a photo of the late rapper onscreen. “A bitchy like me kicked the door down,” she explained. “What the fuck is up, Coachella!” —T.M.
Noname’s Radical Brilliance
Noname has established herself as one of rap’s most conscientious thinkers — as well as one of social media’s favorite intellectuals and activists, thanks to the launch of her Noname Book Club, which aims to elevate writers and ideas that support POC voices. But she’s also a talented performer, and some fans were concerned that they wouldn’t see her onstage for a while after she announced in 2021 that she was taking a break from music. Fortunately, Noname returned to her art and delivered some of her best work at Coachella, performing previous singles as well as highlights from her excellent album Room 25. A full band of Black artists provided gorgeous sonic backdrops for her to rap to behind her, making the entire set a show of community. —J.L.
Latto Gets Her Flowers
Latto certainly puts on a show. The Sahara stage was packed as the rap star took the stage to perform some of her biggest hits, including raunchy rap songs like “Nasty Nasty” and “Wet” and a slew of female rappers onstage with her. TiaCorine joined her on “FreakyT,” Lola Brooke on their internet-favorite collaboration “Don’t Play With It,” and Saweetie on the remix of “Bitch From da Souf.” “We work our asses off, so I just want to give Latto flowers,” Saweetie explained to the audience. “On the count of three, say, ‘I love Latto.'” —T.M.
Dominic Fike’s Breezy Charm
“Back then, I had some low expectations. To be honest, I wasn’t even nervous,” Dominic Fike half-joked during his Coachella set. “Walked out here, no nerves at all, completely fine, still don’t feel anything.” Fike performed with a natural ease and never-ending chill, but his talent shone through every time he took the mic, his voice gritty and emotive. He thrashed on his guitar and fiddled with vocal loops throughout his set, creating blown-out soundscapes with bright hooks that fans knew every word to.
Part of it heralded a new era for the reformed singer and rapper, who has previously spoken out about his substance abuse and sobriety. “Hopefully I’ll feel something because it’s been a long time.” “It’s difficult to regain serotonin after quitting drugs,” he explained. Fans all around him showed him how they felt with wild cheers. —J.L.
Jackson Wang Surprises With Ciara
Jackson Wang of the K-pop group GOT7 brought us more of everything in 2023, after becoming the first Chinese artist to ever take the stage at Coachella last year — more magic, more grooves, more hypnotic visual interludes, and more star power in what just might have been the most unexpected guest appearance at the fest. Wang was in full master-of-ceremonies mode, commanding the stage in a two-toned Joker-esque ensemble to songs from his second album, MAGICMAN (“By the way, this isn’t Jackson Wang, this is the Magic Man,” he told the audience).
Passing festivalgoers were drawn to the Sahara stage by a cloud of smoke and the first few notes of “Lose Control,” a Missy Elliott song featuring Ciara. “Well, my name is Ciara!” exclaimed the singer before launching into a medley of “Level Up” and “Goodies.” Wang performed “1, 2, Step” with her and debuted their new collaboration track “Slow,” giving us the surprise duo we never knew we needed. —S.A.
Kali Uchis’ Takes Us to Venus
Kali Uchis, who appeared from behind a flurry of feathers, opened the performance with “Telepata,” which she sang atop a Greek column-flanked stage. She was quickly joined by a trio of outstanding guests — Tyler, the Creator, Omar Apollo, and Don Tolliver — who assisted her in performing songs from her album Red Moon in Venus. Uchis paid homage to her Latina roots, belting out classics like Gastam’s “Salvaje,” El General’s “Rica y Apretadita,” and Lorna’s “Papi Chulo.” She also performed “La Diabla,” a song from her upcoming Spanish album, for fans. —
