Coachella 2024 was the year of the A-list guests. On all three days, top stars performed either on stage or in the crowd to support their fine musicians. Olivia Rodrigo joined No Doubt, Will Smith did J Balvin, Justin Bieber sang with Tems, Billie Eilish threw a last minute party on the DoLab stage and Shakira even announced a world tour during the set by Bizarrap.
Talk among some festival-goers ahead of Coachella suggested that this year's lineup might be toned down, but the number of stars joining their friends on stage certainly helped that. Plus, headlining sets from Doja Cat, Lana Del Rey and Tyler, the Creator certainly did not let down.
That's a wrap for Weekend One! Here are some of the best things we saw at Coachella on Sunday, April 14.
Doja Cat's post-apocalyptic performance
Doja Cat brought a hard-nosed, hot-blooded spectacle, designed as a pure, unadulterated id. Doja opened with a sample of Madonna's 1994 anthem “Human Nature” — then launched into several tracks from her 2023 album. Red, such as 'Agora Hills' and 'Paint the Town Red'. Sampling Dionne Warwick's 1964 classic 'Walk On By', the latter became Doja's first solo Number One hit last September.
Doja also welcomed 21 Savage, who rapped opposite her on his 2024 track, “HNIE.” Shyly holding a bouquet of baby's breath, Teezo Touchdown joined Doja for a live debut of their track “Masc,” as appears in Scarlet 2 CLAUDEits deluxe version Red, which dropped last week. A$AP Rocky also came backstage, rushing to throw down a metal version of their brand new song, “URRRGE!!!!!!!!!!”
Doja skipped most of her songs from her setlist, including “Say So,” “Woman” and “Kiss Me More,” her Grammy-winning pop number with SZA. As LA's biggest female hip-hop star to date, Doja instead chose to do her MC thing, throwing fire into every verse without missing a beat. – YES
J Balvin's New Beginning
What better way to kick off a new era than with a career-defining Coachella set?
J Balvin delivered one of the best production sets, the most exciting sets of the weekend on Sunday night as he danced alongside aliens and pulled out The terminator himself — Will Smith, dressed in his own Men in black Role of Agent J, for a cover of the film's theme song. Jada Pinkett Smith (dressed in an oversized fur coat) and Katy Perry were among the stars who attended ET's abduction-themed performance from the crowd.
Backed by dancers in Lady Gaga-esque costumes, Balvin bounced between recent hits like “Colmillo” (as he welcomed Jowell and Randy) and the Usher-sampling “Dientes,” along with some of his older tracks like “Ginza”. and “La Canción” which had the crowd jumping. It certainly helped to have Tainy behind the turntables to keep the crowd going.
“Es una nueva temporada de J Balvin,” he said on stage: “It's a new season of J Balvin.” –TM
Victoria Monét hosts a consciousness-raising burlesque revue
Surrounded by tropical plants and a live funk band, the Mojave stage transformed into Club Monét on Sunday night when Victoria Monét hosted her own sensual, R&B burlesque revue. For her first act, the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter took the stage in a striped suit and cane, belting out her songs “Alright” and “Cadillac (A Pimp's Anthem). She interspersed her setlist with clips of songs influenced by Outkast, Aaliyah, Usher, Sister Nancy and Sexy Red.
Things got progressively more steely with her second act, in which she stripped down to a set of underwear and faked sexy moves with her all-female dance crew during 'Friend U Can Keep'. She extolled the virtues of fitness in her performance of “Ass Like That,” but made sure to acknowledge the body diversity of those cheering her on in the audience.
“Whether you shoot from the ass or it's natural, it doesn't matter,” Monet said. “Whether it's real or fake, people will still want it. Looking good!”
She made another show of compassion in her performance of “Stop (Askin' Me 4Shyt)” and became one of the few acts at Coachella to condemn attacks on civilians in Gaza, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. “Stop the wars, stop the hate, stop the genocide!” she proclaimed. “We need love. Stop thinking so small. Gotta think big, bitch!'
To that point, he added, “And stop asking for the 'Okay' music video, because it's on the way.” The case is closed! — SE
Reneé Rapp and Kesha say “Fuck P Diddy”
Two giant scissors and his cast L Word welcomed Reneé Rapp to the Outdoor Stage on Saturday afternoon. Need more advice on her sexuality?
The goofy pop singer – dressed in a trench coat and black sports bra – sang fan favorites such as 'Colorado' and 'Poison Poison'. Rapp knew her crowd well, and before “Willow,” she encouraged, “If you know this song and you know where the ass shake is, you gotta do it.” She then gave her set a complete twist as she welcomed Kesha to the stage for a fun rendition of her 2010 hit “Tik Tok” that included a big “fuck you” to Diddy in the song's opening line.
Later in the set, Rapp brought out her friend (and amazing performer) Towa Bird for a cover of “Tummy Hurts,” perfectly tying in the sapphic themes of her set. -TM
Carin León is building a bridge between Mexico and Nashville
¡Arriba, la Yeehaw Agenda! Carin León, global ambassador for Mexican heritage music, made his festival debut on Sunday afternoon. Blessed by the warm glow of the golden hour, the Sonora natives combined roots-music traditions from across the US and Mexico, serving audiences a comforting blend of Norteño and American blues and country.
While fans were enjoying his greatest hits—among them the soulful “Primera Cita” and “Que Vuelvas” with cumbia stars Grupo Frontera—León was showing off his good luck in Nashville by performing “The One (Pero No Como Yo ),” a bilingual duet he recorded with country star Kane Brown. “What you're after better be a double tequila,” León sang in a rich, Southern drawl. “Because you know I'm the one!”
Fans kicked up the dust by dancing to the fast beat of “La Boda del Huitlacoche” and Leon almost lost his cowboy hat in the air. Flying in from Miami were Venezuelan hitmakers Mau y Ricky, who arrived dressed in sharp clothes to perform 'Llorar y Llorar' – which sported the nostalgic country feel of a steel guitar. León further pleased the crowd with a bluesy version of “Te Quiero,” a song by rock en español legends Hombres G. He then knocked it out of the park with a brassy rendition of Selena's “Si Una Vez.” León will represent Mexico once again at the upcoming Stagecoach festival, also in Indio, April 26-28 at the Empire Polo Club. — SE
Bebe is more than good: She's the drama
Bebe Rexha has bangs. The songwriter-turned-pop hitmaker filled her 45-minute set with some of the biggest songs of her career as she opened with G-Eazy's “Me, Myself, and I” and “I Got You” and later played “Call You Mine' and 'In the Name of Love', two DJ collaborations over the years.
“I started out as a songwriter and always thought I wasn't cool enough for Coachella, but here I am now. I'm cool now you morons!' she told the crowd as they let out a roar and teased her next song. “I guess it's meant to be.”
Rexha even found room to preview three unreleased songs: the electric hit “I'm the Drama,” “Chase It” during a dance break, and later, “Beat It Up,” as she shook her ass on the floor along with her dancers. . “Did you enjoy our little orgy on stage?” she joked.
Rexha ended her set with “I'm Good (Blue)” alongside David Guetta, who shared a sweet story about discovering the singer in 2015. Rexha is a force to be reckoned with and truly deserved to be on this Coachella main stage. -TM
Catch them while you can: FLO
The FLOs are kind of like the PowerPuff Girls, if the trio's superpowers harmonized beautifully. The British R&B trio — Renée Downer, Jorja Douglas and Stella Quaresma — proved to be one of the most exciting acts at Coachella all weekend, as they filled their 45-minute set with perfect choruses and stunning vocals.
The group performed songs like “Summertime” and “Immature” (“We leave immature men in the past. That ends today,” Douglas said) from their debut EP, Leadbefore summoning '90s energy with Missy Elliott's “Fly Girl.”
The girls covered En Vogue's “Don't Let Go” and Destiny's Child's “Bootylicious” before performing their track “Feature Me” with Janet Jackson's “I Get Lonely.” The show suggested a trio well on their way to becoming the biggest stars. – TM
Lil Yachty surprises fans with Mac DeMarco cameo
Atlanta's Lil Yachty headlined an eclectic set Sunday night inside the Mojave Stage. Standing at the helm of his own makeshift ship, nicknamed “Lil Boat,” Yachty performed mostly songs from his latest record, 2023 Let's start here. An experimental foray into the realm of psych-rock, aided by members of Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Chairlift and MGMT, it's an album almost made for Coachella.
On stage, Yachty broke the hypnotic spell he had cast on his fans, who responded with screaming screams as he invited indie superstar Mac DeMarco to the stage. “Sing with Daddy,” DeMarco told the crowd, before joining Yachty to rock fans with his own songs “On the Level” and “Chamber of Reflection.” Yachty effortlessly sailed through his older trap numbers “Broccoli” and “Minnestota” – but his set won with a rousing rendition of his art-rock song “I've Officially Lost Vision!!!!” — SE
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