COACHELLA, FINALLY (PART TWO)

It took two years, but we finally returned to the Coachella Valley for the most-anticipated festival of the season.

Saturday highlights

Following Spotify’s Friday-night festivities (which included much merch, many a selfie, a boat, and a 6am Uber), the folks at Interscope outdid themselves for their sixth annual Coachella shindig. Nothing says pre-Coachella like chicken pot hand-pies and superstars in a casual setting.

Meanwhile, back at the show… R&B crooner GIVĒON (pictured to the right of the author and manager Simon Gebrelul) put us all in our feels with songs from When It’s All Said and Done… Take Time and a solo version of “Peaches,” among other offerings, before 88rising’s Head in the Clouds Forever brought Asian artists from around the globe to the main stage for a history-making set; performances came courtesy of NIKI, BIBI, Rich Brian and 2NE1, who reunited onstage for the first time in seven years.

Tchami surprised the crowd on the other side by bringing out Gunna, who performed “Pushing P” for a second time that weekend, while Disclosure electrified the outdoor stage. After performing a slew of standouts, the duo was joined by Khalid for a rendition of their 2019 collab, “Talk.”

Flume and BROCKHAMPTON played at the same time, but considering that the latter plans to go on indefinite hiatus after their second-weekend show, it was worth trekking to the Sahara tent to see them. They performed fan favorites like “SUMMER,” “BUZZCUT,” “SUGAR” and “BOOGIE, though it was the announcement of a final album that really made people lose their shit.

Megan Thee Stallion’s Coachella debut was a high-energy outing featuring hits like “Savage” and “WAP” as well as a new track, “Letter to my Ex,” which drops on Friday. Stromae lit up the outside stage, concluding his show with “Alors on Danse.”

Danny Elfman delighted with a weirdly glorious set that highlighted his four-decade career. Backed by both a band and a huge orchestra, he played songs from his days as Oingo Boingo's frontman, his recently released solo album and his movies with Tim Burton (Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, Batman, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas). Elfman—shirtless and heavily tattooed—also ripped through a hair-raising rendition of his beloved Simpsons theme while beyond-trippy visuals flashed across the screen.

Capping off day two was Darkroom/Interscope megastar Billie Eilish, who set the bar high for Sunday after officially becoming the youngest artist ever to headline Coachella. If her superlative set weren’t enough, she brought out Khalid to perform 2018’s “Lovely” with her and continued to wow when Gorillaz vocalist Damon Albarn popped in to perform tracks like “Feel Good Inc.” Staying for Billie’s entire set was well worth the three-hour drive out of the parking lot.

Stay tuned for the Sunday recap!