The show was the singer’s first in six years after his 2020 Coachella performance was canceled due to Covid-19.
Frank Ocean hadn’t performed in six years, but he returned to the Coachella stage on Saturday during a headlining set that was both emotional and perplexing. Ocean’s set was one of the festival’s most anticipated this year, ending the three-day music event on an enigmatic note.
Coachella announced earlier in the day that Ocean’s set would not be live-streamed on YouTube like the rest of the festival, many disappointing fans at home who had hoped to catch the rare opportunity to see Ocean.
Fans who did make it to Coachella began flocking to the MainStage area as early as 9:30 p.m. to secure good seats for the 10:05 p.m. show. However, as they waited for more than an hour, the crowd grew larger and more restless, and many feared Ocean would not appear because he has previously canceled numerous appearances and tour performances.
Ocean finally started playing around 11 p.m., starting with “Novacane.” The performance was stunning and pitch-perfect, despite Ocean sitting in the middle of the stage, his face hidden behind a blue hoodie, his back partially turned toward the audience.
The majority of the stage was covered by a massive screen, and fans could only see the singer through camera angles from behind it.
There were long silent pauses between songs like “Crack Rock” and “White Ferrari,” with Ocean barely speaking and interacting with the audience. When he did speak for the first time, he provided an ambiguous album update: “I want to talk about why I’m here because it’s not because of a new album… “Not that there isn’t a new album on the way,” he explained.
Slowly, he began to open up more, sharing an emotional memory from the festival, where he first performed before releasing Channel Orange 11 years ago.
He mentioned going with his late brother Ryan Breaux, who was killed in a car accident in 2020.
“My brother and I attended this festival frequently. I felt dragged by him at times because I didn’t want to catch a respiratory infection… “I used to come here all the time, and one of my favorite memories is watching Rae Sremmurd with my brother… and Travis [performed]in that tent,” he said. “I know he’d be overjoyed to be here with us all. I’d like to thank you for all of your help, years, and love over the years. I’ll get back to the songs now.”
Later, he handed over control of the show to DJ Crystall Mess, who performed an EDM-fueled interlude of several of his songs. The cameras pan to a security guard dancing and Ocean holding the green baby doll he’s famous for carrying around and which he brought to the 2019 Met Gala.
He took the stage and explained why he chose to include the club interlude. “It’s fucking chaotic, but it’s so much fun… Looking back, I remember listening to new music with DJs coming in on their shit in 2020, when I was just starting to throw parties in little clubs in New York before shit started going down… it’s become part of my weekly practice with Homer Radio.
“It’s good that it’s not always about me, so I wanted to bring some of that,” he explained.
He also made room on stage for a young pianist who lip-synced to his songs. “My name is Josiah. “He’s channeling my inner child,” Ocean said. “What’s up, Coachella?” replied the pianist, making for a sweet moment during the set.
Ocean also performed an acoustic version of “Self-Control” and the first few bars of “Nikes.” He also mouthed “Nights” lyrics into the camera.
Soon after, during a cover of “At Your Best (You Are Love),” Ocean announced, “Guys, I’m being told it’s a curfew, so that’s the end of the show.”
Fans chanted, “One more song!” as the stage screen went completely black. However, Ocean abruptly ended the performance and exited the stage.
This is the musician’s first performance since 2017 when he appeared at several music festivals in Europe and at Los Angeles’ FYF Fest.
Ocean was originally scheduled to co-headline Coachella 2020 with Rage Against the Machine and Travis Scott, but after the festival was rescheduled to the spring of 2022 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Ocean was unable to attend the new dates. While Coachella organizers typically do not reveal lineup details so far in advance, Ocean’s co-founder Paul Tollett revealed in a 2021 interview that he would perform in 2023.
