The curtains closed on the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on Sunday, April 24. After back-to-back canceled years due to COVID-19 restrictions, the double weekend music festival returned to Empire Polo Club in Indio, California with three headliners for both weekends.
The original lineup was Harry Styles, Billie Eillish and Kanye “Ye” West. West was removed from the Grammys lineup in early April due to concerns about his online behavior towards ex-wife Kim Kardashian and her new boyfriend Pete Davidson. For our unplugged readers, West went on a posting rampage in early March criticizing Kardashian’s new relationship with the SNL star. Just nine days before Coachella kicked off, West removed himself from the festival lineup, according to Datebook from San Francisco Chronicle. The festival replaced his spot with Swedish House Mafia and The Weeknd.
TikTok has shown a realistic glimpse into concerts and music festivals from the past year. The festival’s crowd featured many of Hollywood’s biggest names that weren’t performing, including James Corden, Timothee Chalamet, the Jenner sisters and more.
The first weekend showcased a range of TikTok creators and influencers. Bigger names such as Charli and Dixie D’Amelio, Noah Beck and James Charles were all in attendance.
The star of the show, of course, was Harry Styles. This former member of One Direction sported a Gucci rainbow sequin jumpsuit for his Friday, April 15 headlining set. Styles is known for his colorful, unpredictable performances. Videos quickly circulated the internet with his surprise guest, ‘90s pop star Shania Twain. The two duetted to her hit song, “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” The Queen of Country Pop joined Styles wearing a fabulous sequined dress of her own.
The internet went crazy for Styles again the following week, with pop star Lizzo joining his set. They wore large, matching pink and orange puff jackets to cover “I Will Survive” and “What Makes You Beautiful.” Lizzo shared a video of their performance on Instagram with a touching tribute to Styles.
“He makes being on stage in front of hundreds and thousands easy, cus it’s with a friend,” wrote Lizzo in her post.
The global sensation Billie Eilish performed a 90-minute set on both Saturday nights of the festival. However, a singer’s worst nightmare happened to the 20-year-old during her April 23 performance: Eilish fell face-first on stage. She brushed it off, though, and laughed it off into the microphone. For that performance, Eilish invited Paramore lead singer Hayley Williams to perform an acoustic version of “Misery Business.”
From an outsider’s perspective, the festival seemed to be drama-free. Small controversy sparked during Doja Cat’s performance of her hit song “Say So.” The pop singer gained TikTok fame at the start of quarantine. During her performance of “Say So,” she did the TikTok dance that was originally created by Tik Toker Haley Sharpe. People thought that Doja Cat should credit the teenager for using her dance on one of music’s biggest stages.
This year’s Coachella marked the first large festival performance for singers such as Conan Gray, Phoebe Bridgers, Role Model and more. It was also the first Coachella performance for headliner Swedish House Mafia, who collaborated with The Weeknd on the Sunday shows.
In other internet activity, people were quick to judge the fashion choices of celebrities on TikTok and Twitter. A list of tips provided by some attendees is to dress for comfort, not fashion. People are standing in the desert day and night, so they want to be comfortable. Stay hydrated and get proper rest, the list recommends. They suggest bringing a bandana to cover the mouth from sand for the long entrance way.
Coachella started as a two-day festival in 1999. Since then, it has grown to a bucket list item with performances from music’s biggest names.
