The final day of Coachella weekend one proved that live music is back and better than ever, and got fans hyped about heading back to the desert for weekend two.
From Finneas‘ live debut of the Turning Red hit, “Nobody Like U” to various guest appearances, including Karol G and Becky G‘s team-up for “MAMIII” and Doja Cat’s onstage collaborations with Tyga and Rico Nasty — weekend one wrapped up with a bang. The night culminated in a dynamic headlining set from The Weeknd and Swedish House Mafia, who you’d never guess were a last-minute addition to the headlining lineup based on their masterful performances.
Catch up on Sunday’s best moments below.
3:30 p.m. — Banda MS took over the main stage to sing back-to-back hits (“Hermosa Experiencia,” “El Colo de tus Ojos” and “Qué Maldición”). Standing under the scorching midday sun were Coachella staff members looking in awe at Banda MS, only the second Sinaloan band to ever perform at the festival. Even if it was for just one song, they stopped, sang and witnessed a groundbreaking moment that filled every Latino there with pride.
4:43 p.m. — “I would pay $50 if I only had to stand in the shade right there,” said El-P, marking the unofficial start to his impromptu stand-up set filled with quips about the heat. Killer Mike was quick to pivot, offering a “happy Easter, Passover to my Jewish family and Ramadan,” saying “Jewel Runners don’t look alike, but if we say, ‘Where’s the ooh la la? They can point us to it.’” The duo then, as suspected, performed “Ohh La La” followed later on by its 2014 hit “Close Your Eyes. But the best part was the banter that preceded it. “As per my request, it’s 90 degrees,” joked El-P while Mike once again came in with a more pressing message. “Do yourself a favor and just know that in this community, if you see someone [needing help], pick ‘em up, make sure they’re ok, then go about your business.”
4:51 p.m. — Compton rap-electronic artist Channel Tres brought out Ty Dolla $ign for his Coachella debut. The two vibed with the crowd, telling them to “get low” and “bring it up.” Channel Tres concluded with his hit, “Topdown.”
5:15 p.m. — Finneas brought 4*TOWN to Coachella, performing the Turning Red hit, “Nobody Like U,” live for the first time, with a stripped back rendition on the piano. And while the rest of the fictional boy band wasn’t there to perform with him, Finneas’ sultry delivery was equally as swoon-worthy on its own.
5:38pm – Vince Staples brought Ramona Park to Indio with a mock-up of a flower shop, called “Ramona’s Roses.” The yellow storefront held an assortment of flowers and served as the back drop to the Long Beach artist’s night at the Sahara stage. Fittingly, Staples started off with “Rose Street” before diving into a handful of other songs from his new album Ramona Park Broke My Heart, which dropped last week. He also made time for some of his old fan favorites like “745,” “FUN!” and “Norf Norf.”
5:48 p.m. — For Maggie Rogers’ triumphant festival return, the singer wasted no time proving some time away has only made her even stronger. After teeing up “Give a Little” with a rock riff and a shoulder shimmy, Rogers delivered a rousing cover of Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” before performing a new untitled song she’s previously played live. Yet even with the a cappella rendition of “Alaska” (which was not, in fact, the set closer), the uniting “Light On” (which was preceded by a humbling “Maggie!” chant) and her new single “Surrender” (which she ended the set with), the most crucial takeaway from Roger’s set is that she’s back — and more of a force than ever.
7 p.m. — Making her debut at Coachella, Karol G went all out for an unforgettable set that made every Latino proud. She brought out surprise guests Tiesto for “Don’t Be Shy” and Becky G for “MAMIII,” marking the first time they sang the song together, and she also paid to homage to all the Latin songs that “went number one in the world and were never played in this stage but gave me the opportunity to be here.” She went on to perform a medley of Selena’s “Como La Flor,” Ricky Martin’s “Maria,” Daddy Yankee’s “Gasolina” and Luis Fonsi’s “Despacito.” She closed with her No. 1, and an anthem, “Tusa.”
7:45 p.m. — Dave invited a fan to rap “Thiago Silva” with him onstage. The fan, who told the crowd his name is Spike, said he came all the way from London to attend Coachella, then proceeded to rap with Dave, spitting the lyrics almost entirely verbatim. The South London rapper then performed his hit “Location,” and concluded with “Clash.” “Everyone I love is in the crowd, he sweetly shared. “My mum’s here!”
8:41 p.m. — An epic and electrifying guitar solo signaled the start of Doja Cat’s anticipated set, which she cleverly opened with “Woman,” the latest single off Planet Her to scale the Billboard charts. She navigated through other album hits such as “Get Into It (Yuh),” “Ain’t S—” and “You Right” like a veteran headliner — though others, particularly her collabs like “Kiss Me More” with SZA and “Best Friend” with Saweetie were notably absent. She did, however, bring out Tyga and Rico Nasty, but had plenty of energy on her own to carry the set without any assists. (She said she had rehearsed for weeks, and the stage looked elaborate enough to have taken just as long to create, complete with a winding staircase and a blown up, larger-than-life Planet Her-esque silhouette.) The entire set had an underlying rock element, courtesy of her live band (and perhaps indicative of a sound she plans to explore, pending her retirement, of course). Yet the way in which she balanced it out with choreography fit for a pop queen, which she delivered in between bars, proved she can do it all. And hopefully she continues to for a long time to come. As she told the crowd, and perhaps herself: “Don’t give up, don’t quit, believe in yourself.”
11:06 p.m. — While The Weeknd didn’t have any surprise guests during his set, he had no problem keeping fans hyped by performing a slew of his biggest hits, including “Often,” “Can’t Feel My Face” and “Blinding Lights.” He even kept in Ariana Grande’s harmonies for the “Save Your Tears” track, a sweet nod to his absent musical collaborator.
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