As the headlined hiccups of weekend 1 concluded, music executives, label writers, and editors alike returned to Indio for the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival’s updated second round. And with most of the social media influencers’ photo ops already captured, the Shein team locked in on how everyday fans experienced the festival, namely through their budget-friendly collections. “Let’s be honest. Everyone doesn’t want sandy designer looks,” one of the brand’s reps laughed during Shein’s introductory Coachella luncheon at the La Quinta Resort & Club.
In time, guests settled in with treatments at Spa La Quinta and learned how Shein’s second annual Zeuphoria party during Coachella would incorporate musical performances by Anderson Paak, Fisher, KAYTRANADA, Kitty Ca$h, DJ Bender, Nora En Pure, and The Future X on Coachella Weekend Two, at the Zenyara luxury estate, produced by CMG. Still, it was first thing first as EP Luxury Transportation shuttled press attendees to collect all-access artist passes and attended Coachella weekend 2’s day 1 sets. Upon entry, festival-goers could not help but notice that Frank Ocean’s headlining (Sunday) set was replaced by Blink 182, Skrillex, Fred again.., and Four Tet on Coachella’s historic banner.
While every musician has significance, The Knockturnal will stick to coverage of headliners and special guests. Enter Day 1: With an iridescent comic-based introduction narrated by Morgan Freeman, Metro Boomin emerged suspended over the Sahara stage. To the sounds of “On Time,” a jumbotron shot of Boomin’s feet planted above his turntables appeared, and the top-charted producer screamed, “Trochella! Y’all ready to go up?”
And before supporters could catch their breath, The Weeknd arose to the Boomin-produced hit, “Faith.” The luminary brought ticket-holders up to speed with a more recent HEROES & VILLIANS collab, “Creepin’,” which proved the timelessness of the song’s Mario Winans sample from “I Don’t Wanna Know.” After The Weeknd premiered his latest single, “Double Fantasy,” the stage grounds began to shake when a familiar voice chimed over speakers. The EVOL trap beat on “Low Life” followed, as did the festival’s first slew of hip-hop crowd surfers with the sight of Future. But the climatic moment preceding Bad Bunny’s set was “Superhero,” where Boomin established himself as just that alongside the Freebandz rapper.
After affirming himself as Spotify’s most-streamed artist for the third year in a row and securing the all-time record for tour revenue in a calendar year ($435 million), Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio became Coachella’s first-ever solo Latinx headliner. No performer has accomplished what he has, making the Spanish-speaking artist a threat across genres. To a series of concert clips, spectators toured the world through the lens of Bad Bunny before the fan favorite, “Tití Me Preguntó,” and its Bronx-based video shined from the main stage. Puerto Rican flags were raised throughout his two-hour performance, and he brought some “Safera” guests and friends while making history once more.
Replicating their impromptu Calle Loíza concert in Puerto Rico, rapper Arcángel walked through stage smoke on a prop gas station roof, and the commotion of “La Jumpa” commenced. Bops like “Moscule Mule” and “Neverita” kept the crowd moving before Bunny announced, “I will be speaking Spanish tonight,” in non-English. As fireworks exploded, the rainbow from his YHLQMDLG opener, “Si Veo a Tu Mamá,” brought forth an inclusive vibe extending the stage to Bunny’s body-positive crew of dancers. And he took a solo to dedicate the El Último Tour Del Mundo track “120” to his “…day one fans” before bringing forth another surprise: Groupo Frontera.
To ear-bleeding screams, the six-man Mexican ensemble played their new collaboration, “unx100to,” with the icon. Even so, a highlight of Bunny’s headlining moment was the pictorial reinforcement that he hears his Latinx supporters’ concerns. Seemingly responding to his recent TIME cover story’s interview touching colorism within reggaetón, he paused in homage to historical figures in Latin American music with a visual that included Afro-Latino icons La Lupe, Tego Calderón, and Celia Cruz. The performance spoke for him. More than recognizing the legends who created space for him to reach this level was Bunny’s tear-jerking role in spotlighting “La Canción” beside veteran guitarist José Feliciano. Fame altered his lifestyle, but Bunny’s ascension from X100Pre hasn’t diminished his love for his island or people.
Day 1’s honorable performance mentions include Doechii, Idris Elba, Becky G, KAYTRANADA, Burna Boy, Gorillaz, and Pusha T.
In tandem with Glowmode and Nike, Shein hosted a tennis lesson and brunch before their Zeuphoria Day Party. During the latter event, guests pulled from soon-to-release designs and got their makeup done by the SHEGLAM squad in preparation for the day’s Coachella sets. Enter Day 2: To the lyrics, “Kick in the door, waving the coco…” Blackpink’s beloved Blinks rushed the Coachella stage to get a closer glimpse of “Pink Venom.” The South Korean stars made history running through a medley of hits, including “Shut Down,” “Whistle,” and “How You Like That,” as the first-ever girl group to earn a headlining slot.
Together with nearly two dozen dancers, Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa, and Rosé added to the choreography and conversation, touching the festival’s broadened diversity ahead of their solo moments at center stage. “We are excited to be here. Coachella is a dream come true,” Rosé yelled. Between the BLACKPINK IN YOUR AREA flame throwers of “BOOMBAYAH” and its drone filming, onlookers couldn’t deny the K-Pop singers’ global appeal. The introductory keys of “Typa Girl” caused a scene before women barked their get-money mantras over its trap cadences. High-energy versions of “Shut Down” and “Tally” were further roused by the group’s Born Pink World Tour footage. And as Blackpink closed with the bop “Forever Young,” celebrities began to shuttle to the Zeuphoria Night Party.
Special guests of the Don Julio Tequila and Heineken Silver sponsored party with CMG at ZENYARA included Tove Lo, 24kGoldn, Alabama Barker, Tyga, Swaggy, Gia Giudice, Ava Michelle, Rickey Thompson, SG Lewis, Shenseea, Niki DeMartino, Talabi Twins, Denzel Dion, Fai Khadra, Gorillaz, Joseph Baena, Kenny Stills, and others. At Coachella, Calvin Harris would conclude Day 2 by DJing through electronic triumphs like “Blame,” “I Need Your Love,” “One Kiss,” “This Is What You Came For,” and “Feel So Close,” with his expanded pyro. Still, Harris’ tribute to the late Migos rapper TakeOff during “Slide” was among his most memorable displays, ahead of playing the collaboration “We Found Love” with Rihanna, which was certified diamond this week by the RIAA.
Day 2’s honorable performance mentions include Flo Milli, Rosalía, Labrinth, EARTHGANG, Charli XCX, Umi, and 070 Shake.
Shein spearheaded attendees’ Zeuphoria recovery with cocktails and lunch at Twenty6 in time to catch the final festival performances. Enter Day 3: Blink-182 replaced Frank Ocean during weekend 2, and Travis Barker saved the evening’s cool between Mark Hoppus’ and Tom DeLonge’s signature vulgarities and dad jokes. Last year the punk legends sparked headlines with their rekindled friendship, and their chemistry as a collective endures from their ’94 demo Buddha. With the first verse insults of “Family Reunion” (We can’t publish those lyrics), Blink-182 commanded Coachella’s attention instantly.
Throughout their 18-track setlist, songs like “The Rock Show” and “Man Overboard” inspired a moshpit — just in time for Barker’s drum solo on the track “Feeling This” and some major fireworks. The classic wordplay “Nobody likes you when you’re twenty-three/ And are still more amused by TV shows/ What the hell is ADD? My friends say I should act my age…” could be heard miles out while the band played, “What’s My Age Again?” But the back-to-back musicality on their hits “I Miss You,” “First Date,” and “All the Small Things” reminded Coachella that nearly 30 years of rocking stages merited praise before “Dammit,” closed their sweat-dripping production.
Skrillex, Fred Again.., and Four Tet announced themselves swiftly after Blink-182 cleared the main stage with UFO-looking strobes at the center field of Coachella. Allowing GA show-goers to rage alongside them, the electronic-music crew took an apparent nod to their understanding of how far they had come individually. There were no wall flowers allowed as the trio collectively powered through separate hits, “Leave Me Like This,” “Danielle (smile on my face),” and their collab “Baby again…” Their banter preceding reimagined drill tracks like “Welcome To The Party” and “Princess Diana” entertained rap listeners.
The earlier chatter around the festival grounds questioning how Skrillex, Fred Again.., and Four Tet would pull off the set came to an end. In time, the three were seen tossing one another headphones and taking turns between the song transitions of “Love Story,” “Party in the U.S.A.,” and “Delilah (Pull Me Out of This).” Even so, Skrillex was the grandest showman of this pack, frequently jumping on the turntables to show the audience his dance moves. “This is the last performance. 2023! We gotta show the whole world we are the biggest party right now,” Skrillex said, introducing his Missy Elliott and Mr. Oizo-assisted breakthrough, “RATATA.” Their smaller Coachella stage setup did not hinder the impact of their performance before the synths on “Teenage Birdsong” became the swan song of the evening.
Day 3’s honorable performance mentions include GloRilla, Rae Sremmurd, Kali Uchis, Willow, Björk, A Boogie, and Latto.
