Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival took place in Indio, CA over the past two weekends — April 12-14 and 19-21. For all those who had to miss it due to finals, here’s a rundown of all the major music moments.
Passing the Torch
Ms. Lauryn Hill came out to support her son YG Marley. She showed him how it’s done by jokingly telling him “Before you were born, we used to do something like this,” as she slowly started her song “Killing Me Softly With His Song.” Bringing out her Fugees group mate Wyclef Jean, and friends Busta Rhymes and Spliff Starr, they brought old-school hip hop to the stage.
Speaking of old-school hip hop, Will Smith crashed J Balvin’s set to perform “Men In Black,” complete with a finale of using a neuralyzer to black out the stage and disappear, leaving J Balvin to finish his set. J Balvin has distantly collaborated with Will Smith before, singing “RITMO” for Smith’s movie “Bad Boys for Life,” so it was cool to see them come together musically.
No Doubt reunited to give a nostalgic performance of their greatest hits and even recreated their iconic audience interaction to “Just A Girl.” They also brought Olivia Rodrigo on stage to help them perform “Bathwater,” a song that Rodrigo stated in an Instagram post “totally turned [her] world on its head and inspires [her] to this day.” With Rodrigo’s lyrics about bad dating experiences set to punk pop tracks, it’s clear she draws inspiration from No Doubt. It was fun to see the band give their stamp of approval.
Sublime band members Eric Wilson and Bud Gaugh took the stage with Bradley Nowell’s son — Jakob Nowell — filling his father’s role for a bittersweet reunion.
Reneé Rapp brought out Kesha during her set, where they performed Kesha’s hit “TiK ToK.” With the two of them dancing around the stage with the most carefree attitude, their excited energy extended onto the crowd and fulfilled Gen Z’s dream of getting to party to Kesha.
Paris Hilton hopped on stage to support Vampire Weekend and her friend DJ Jadaboo, proving that she is the OG party girl.
Lana Del Rey brought out Billie Eilish to perform her first single “Ocean Eyes” alongside Del Rey’s first single “Video Games.” Eilish’s angelic vocals and melancholy lyrics about feeling intense love and heartbreak are reminiscent of Del Rey’s early albums, from which Eilish clearly draws inspiration. Eilish jokingly stated during their performance that Del Rey “is the reason for half of you bitches’ existence, including mine.” With Del Rey looking lovingly at her throughout their performance, it’s clear she’s proud of how her legacy has carried on.
A Celebration of Music
Tyler, The Creator brought out friends Childish Gambino, A$AP Rocky and Earl Sweatshirt to help him perform, even taking the time between songs to acknowledge their friendship.
Dom Dolla showed appreciation for Nelly Furtado’s discography, from “Maneater” all the way to their more recent single together “Eat Your Man.”
Peso Pluma brought out everybody. He showed appreciation to Becky G — who highlighted him when he was first starting to gain popularity — by inviting her to perform with him during weekend 1. He then passed it on by inviting up-and-comers Jasiel Nuñez and Ryan Castro to perform with him during weekend 2. He paid tribute to those he learned from by bringing out Chencho Corleone to perform their song “HUMO” together. He also brought out friends Eslabon Armado, Anitta, Junior H, Santa Fe Klan and Arcángel, showing his respect and appreciation towards the collaborative aspect of music.
ATEEZ showed their appreciation towards their fans by teasing the name of their upcoming album “Golden Hour.”
Shakira floated up on a platform behind Bizarrap during his set to perform a few of her hits. Her music session with him — “Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53” — helped launch her new era after her messy split with ex-boyfriend Gerard Piqué. It was only fitting that they’d help her announce her world tour “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran.”
Lana Del Rey also teased her upcoming country album on weekend 2, ending her set in a leather jacket with fringe and a huge silver belt buckle hinting at the change in genre.
Topping it all off with insane performances from headliners Lana Del Rey, Tyler, The Creator and Doja Cat.
All in all, Coachella 2024 was one for the books.
