The popular music and arts festival Coachella kicked off its first weekend earlier this month at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, Calif.. With 114 performers, this year’s event features headliners Lady Gaga, Green Day and Post Malone, alongside other artists such as Megan Thee Stallion, Charli XCX, Benson Boone and many others from across several genres. The sweltering heat of California’s deserts did not impact the many highlights and many FOMO moments of the festival’s opening three days.
Lady Gaga took the stage on opening night, and her performance was something unforgettable. The 39-year-old pop star split her performance of 20 songs into four different acts and a finale. She not only gave the crowd powerful performances of songs such as “Disease” and “Abracadabra” from her latest album release, “MAYHEM,” but also a punch of nostalgia with popular songs from her older albums such as the 2011 album “Born This Way” and the 2008 album “The Fame.”
In true Gaga fashion, she did not simply grab a microphone and sing her hits for the sea of the Coachella crowd. The Mother Monster, as her fans refer to her, blew the crowd away with her vocals, and gave them theatrical performances that were both freaky and beautifully spectacular.
In one of the most iconic moments of the first night, her first act, titled “Of Velvet and Vice,” had Gaga performing her hit song “Poker Face,” while on a chessboard-themed stage where she seemed to be battling a dancer, dressed as her old self, in a game of chess.
Though Gagachella concluded for weekend one, the next days of the festival also had many unforgettable moments.
With his Coachella debut, 22-year-old Benson Boone wore a sparkly disco singlet as he performed some of his own songs such as “Beautiful Things” and “Sorry I’m Here for Someone Else.” He also delivered a historic Coachella performance alongside a special guest. During his rendition of rock band Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Boone brought on stage the original guitarist for the band, 77-year-old Brian May.
Boone wasn’t the only artist to bring a surprise guest on stage. The icon of “Brat Summer” herself, Charli XCX, had one of the most well-attended performances of the weekend. Though her performance was minimal, she made up for it by welcoming on stage fellow artists Troye Sivan, Lorde and Billie Eilish, something fans had speculated would happen. But to their surprise, Sivan joined her on stage for her song “Talk Talk” before she brought out Lorde for “Girl, so confusing,” a song she features on. Later, Eilish joined the set to perform their song “Guess” together.
The Mojave Tent at the festival also had a special performer who many anticipated, regardless of their age. Here, the five colorful characters from the children’s TV series, “Yo Gabba Gabba!” took the stage, and as they sang their hit song “Party in My Tummy,” they helped the crowd get their “wiggles” out. They were joined on stage by “Weird Al” Yankovic, Portugal the Man and Paul Williams. The wholesome yet surprising set gave a wave of nostalgic energy that had adults in the crowd singing along as they played games and danced with the characters.
Coachella’s second weekend, which took place April 18-20, continued the desert festivities with the same headliners and finished off another successful year for one of North America’s highest grossing music festivals.
