When No Doubt broke with “Just a Girl” nearly 30 years ago, it was immediately clear that frontwoman Gwen Stefani wasn't “just” anything. And in a mainstage reunion on Saturday night (April 13) at Coachella, Stefani proved that the band's debut — and the band itself — remains as vital as ever in its third decade.
“Tell me, but I feel like this song could be more relevant now than ever,” Stefani said of the introduction to “Just a Girl,” which includes lyrics like “I'm just a girl, all beautiful and petite/ So don't let me have any rights.”
It's not clear how anyone could underestimate Stefani, or the women's band, after seeing the display she put on Saturday with her band — bassist Tony Kanal, drummer Adrian Young, guitarist Tom Dumont, trombonist /keyboardist Gabrial McNair and trumpeter/keyboardist Stephen Bradley. – for the one hour and 20 minute set. He was constantly running the length of the stage, or running down the catwalk into the crowd, or punching the air or climbing the scaffolding — all while maintaining the powerful vocals that made No Doubt's songs cut through the noise mid-' Decade 90 onwards.
Although they didn't headline Day 2 (that was Tyler, The Creator), No Doubt treated their performance like Saturday's main event, offering a history lesson in the ska music that inspired their early sound. Rock Steady radio dominance. And their influence remains evident, especially on surprise guest Olivia Rodrigo, who had just gushed about one Nylon Last week's cover that all of Stefani's songs feel like they've been “forgotten from the diary of the coolest girl you know.”
Below, find our five favorite moments from No Doubt's Coachella reunion, from Rodrigo's cheeky cameo to the band's shocking group photo.
Olivia Rodrigo Duets on one of her favorites
When Olivia Rodrigo took it upon herself to choose her “18 favorite songs” to celebrate her 18th birthday in 2021, No Doubt's 'Bathwater' was among her selections. Fast forward three years, and Rodrigo — wearing a cropped white tank top that read “I [heart] ND” — hit the Coachella stage for a surprise duet at Return of Saturn single, trading verses and sharing the chorus with Stefani. The two were playful throughout the song, with Stefani saying before the bridge, “Olivia Rodrigo, because good girls, like you and me, always want to…”
“…the bad guys!” Rodrigo ended with a theatrical flourish. Stefani even called out to her fellow singer/songwriter at the end of the song yelling, “Come here, my little Vampire!”
Recently, Rodrigo has been paying tribute to her heroes, from Sheryl Crow and Alanis Morissette to Jewel and the Breeders, and this latest stop on her appreciation tour couldn't be more fitting.
A Ska History Lesson
No Doubt made sure to pay homage to their ska roots throughout the show, playing non-singles from their album. Tragic Kingdom like “Different People” and entering the B-stage for an early cover of Madness' “One Step Beyond,” which kept the band busy as Stefani changed costumes mid-stage. No Doubt have often pointed to British ska revivalists of the late 70s and early 80s as inspirations behind their own early ska sound.
“Just a girl” she calls
When Stefani took to the stage to do push-ups as the band played the intro to “Just a Girl,” we couldn't help but think that Gwen also did push-ups in the song's 1995 music video. And when she took to the scaffolding to initiate a call and response during the song (first for the guys and then for the title girls), I was reminded of a similar trick that pulls in a video from a concert in the late '90s – only this time, he didn't tell the women to yell, “F— you, I'm a girl!”
Gwen & Tony's 'Don't Speak' Slow Dance
While it doesn't reach the strained romantic drama between bands of a group like Fleetwood Mac, No Doubt has its own tangled web, thanks to a seven-year relationship between Stefani and Kanal that inspired the band's biggest pop. Airplay hit: “Don't Speak,” a 10-week No. 1 in 1996. But if there's any question about the lingering animosity, the graceful slow dance the former couple shared during the guitar solo “Don't Speak” by Dumont on Saturday night definitely put it to rest.
A family photo to end the night
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Image credit: John Shearer/Getty Images for No Doubt
No Doubt's reunion was of course a big deal for fans who hadn't seen the band play together in nearly 10 years, but it was also a big deal for the group. Once they wrapped their set with “Spiderwebs,” the six bandmates turned their backs to the crowd to face the drum kit and take a group photo with their epic Coachella audience behind them. As they say in their song “New,” which they also performed on Saturday, “Don't let it go/ This feeling has to stay.”
They definitely want to capture this night forever.
No Doubt's full Coachella setlist
Good good Sunday morning Morning girls It is my life Different people Hello Baby Absolute hate '95 Bathwater (with Olivia Rodrigo) One Step Beyond (Madness cover) Simple Way of Life Underneath everything Happy now? Young Just a girl Do not talk Spider webs
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/lists/no-doubt-coachella-2024-reunion-recap-olivia-rodrigo/
Bryan Katz is a music industry insider with nearly 20 years in the game. From running the show at record labels to putting together killer music festivals, he's done it all. He's got a knack for marketing tunes and a history in journalism that gives him the edge in spotting the next big thing. In the music biz, Bryan's the guy everyone listens to for the real scoop.
