The first weekend of Coachella featured rowdy guest appearances, a diverse roster of Latin acts and an indie rock revival, coupled with barely-there fashions for the first desert festival and a heavy dose of Americana.
Here's a summary of your weekend takeaways:
-Latin pride-
Shakira, Biso Bluma, J Balvin… This year's edition of Coachella was decidedly dominated by Latin American acts hailing from a wide range of countries and a variety of musical genres.
Latin representation has grown significantly in recent years at Coachella, and another strong showing in 2024 suggests that such bookings are becoming less an anomaly and more the norm as Latin music continues to dominate the global charts.
Last year's Coachella festival made history, with Bad Bunny becoming the first-ever Spanish-language headliner.
This year, Argentine superstar producer Bezarap surprised fans by bringing on his partner Shakira for an electrifying performance, as Beso Pluma took the main stage with his unique blend of regional Mexican folk songs mixed with Latin rap and reggaeton.
Young Mico from Puerto Rico, Simafunk from Cuba, Hermanos Gutierrez from Ecuador, and a few artists from Mexico including Son Rompe Pera, Karen Leon and Girl Ultra, were among the long list of Latin artists represented at the festival.
And Balvin brought out… Will Smith, who wore dark glasses and a suit to perform, you guessed it, the “Men In Black” theme.
-Swift spotted-
Before Coachella, rumors circulated about the possibility Taylor Swift Appearance – I have collaborated on music with Lana Del Rey, Jack Antonoff And Ice Spice and the Swifties thought one of these acts might call her on stage.
She didn't perform but appeared, watching the rock band Bleachers — whose longtime producer Jack Antonoff is the main man — from a backstage corner and Bronx rapper Ice Spice from the VIP section.
Swift and beau Travis Kelce, the NFL player who recently won the Super Bowl, swayed, swayed and kissed as they enjoyed the spectacle, for once, as fans.
Next weekend, she could always jump on stage to promote her album, which will be released April 19, when Coachella repeats almost the same lineup.
Although she was the most discussed, Swift wasn't the only star spotted at Coachella, a playground for the rich and famous.
Billie Eilish – who joined Del Rey on stage on Friday – was spotted in Tyler, who will headline The Creator the following day, and also performed her unscheduled show at the festival's Do Lab, where she debuted three new songs from her upcoming album 'Hit Me Hard And Soft.
Olivia Rodrigo has joined No Doubt, with other stars including Ke$ha and Katy Perry.
– 88 Rising Show –
Music and media company 88rising, which has gained fame as a platform and label primarily geared toward promoting Asian American artists, held a special show for the second time, featuring performances by Japanese pop groups Yoasobi and ATARASHII GAKKO! and Number_i, Japanese hip-hop artist Awich, Korean-American rapper Tiger JK, Chinese pop star Xin Lu, and Korean rapper Yoonmirae.
Atarashi Gaku! and Yoasobi also played their own sets.
This year, another history maker took to the stage, albeit virtually: screaming fans came out for popular Japanese singer Hatsune Miku — a voice bank for the Vocaloid show embodied by a teenager with turquoise braids.
– The return of indie rock –
The equivalent of a weird memory, Smith has been the cornerstone of a throwback to the '90s, after Saturday's Coachella lineup delivered a blast from the past in the form of alternative rock, recalling the roots from which she came.
No Doubt, fronted by Gwen Stefani, played together for the first time in 15 years, performing an extended set that included hits from the 1990s including “Just a Girl” and “Don’t Speak.”
Blur also took the stage as did Sublime, the stoner reggae rock group now fronted by Jacob Noel, son of the late band leader Brad.
Vampire Weekend – whose biggest hits include “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” – returned to the desert for a surprise show, bringing none other than Paris Hilton on stage for a 15-minute musical.
– Men without a donkey, glasses without rims –
Hilton wasn't the only one at Coachella who was going cowboy-y: Western hats and boots were popular, along with fringes, button-downs, jackets, and even the occasional chaps.
Denim, oversized buckle belts, white shirts and lace-embroidered dresses complement the Americana theme that comes through in a lot of country pop, led by Beyoncé, whose breakthrough album caused searches for cowboy-inspired outfits to spike.
90s-style punk and skater outfits, including leather, plaid lace and goth-lite, were also popular, in keeping with the alternative rock nostalgia evident on stage.
Of course, most of Coachella's desert fashion involved wearing as little as possible — sheer sheaths over bikinis and mesh over nipple covers were common, as were the string thongs peeking out of low-rise jeans in a straight-up vision from the year 2000.
The throwback to the early 2000s also applies to eyeglasses: Coachella attendees viewed the world through rose-colored glasses of the wrap-around, rectangular, and rimless varieties.
mdo/sn
. “Professional creator. Lifelong thinker. Reader. Beer buff. Troublemaker. Evil problem solver.”