An Opinionated Guide on What to Watch : Coachel...

For more than a dozen years, YouTube’s Coachella livestream has been contemporary music’s greatest showcase a proving ground for superstars, rising and returning artists — all of whom know they need to bring their A-game — that easily can eat up your entire weekend

Published Time: 19.04.2024 - 22:31:27 Modified Time: 19.04.2024 - 22:31:27

For more than a dozen years, YouTube’s Coachella livestream has been contemporary music’s greatest showcase: a proving ground for superstars, rising and returning artists — all of whom know they need to bring their A-game — that easily can eat up your entire weekend. “Couchella” stans know that you don’t have to spend thousands of dollars, inhale several pounds of desert dust, run a quarter mile between stages, or even leave your home to witness these world-beating performances.

YouTube broadcasts top-quality streams of the performances on eight different stages — live and on loop for 24 hours after each day’s programming ends —and they’re filmed as expertly as any live music broadcast we’ve ever seen: Although nothing can compare to attending live music in person, you really feel like you’ve witnessed the concerts, and for artists ranging from Beyoncé to Billie Eilish to Harry Styles and beyond — not to mention this year’s headliners, Lana Del Rey, Tyler, the Creator and Doja Cat — the livestream has amplified their performances far beyond the Empire Polo Grounds.

Of course, it’s overwhelming, so below is a handy and highly opinionated guide on how to plan your weekend in front of the laptop. Remember that you can scroll back on each livestream to replay sets you didn’t catch in real time, but also remember that once they’re gone, they’re gone — for copyright reasons, the livestreams are aggressively removed from the internet once the festival is over, and it can be extremely difficult to find anything but brief excerpts afterward, so catch them while you can.

Two notes: Coachella runs very late by festival standards —even Tyler, the Creator (pictured above) said at the beginning of his headlining set, “11:40 p.m.? What the fuck? I wanna go to sleep!” — and it runs on West Coast time, so some sets are better viewed on replay for sanity’s sake.

Also, there have been a few changes to the lineup: Vampire Weekend, who were added late to weekend 1, will not be returning, and neither will 88Rising; Kid Cudi has been added, replacing AP Dhillon; and the new Quasar stage has an entirely different DJ lineup for weekend 2 (sadly minus Jamie XX).

Finally, there’s no guarantee that all or any the many guest appearances during weekend one —Billie Eilish with Lana Del Rey, Will Smith with J. Balvin, Donald Glover and A$AP Rocky with Tyler, Justin Bieber with Tems, and so many more —will be repeated on weekend two.

Presented in rough chronological order — all times Pacific — and based on our takes from weekend 1, we recommend the following sets listed below; click on the links on the artists’ names for Variety‘s full articles on the weekend 1 sets; see the full schedule and YouTube links here.

FRIDAY

Young Miko Coachella Stage 4:45 – 5:30 — This fiery young Puerto Rican rapper serves up a diverse set of (mostly) Spanish-language melodic Latin trap.

Chappell Roan Gobi 5:30 – 6:15 — Variety has been on board with the Missouri-bred queen born Kayleigh Rose Amstutz since she dazzled us with a live set in early 2023, and her set during weekend one had nearly all of her rabid fans in the Gobi tent shouting along with anthems like “Feminomenon,” “Casual” the new “Good Luck Babe!” and especially the defining “Pink Pony Club.”

Sabrina Carpenter Coachella Stage 6:00 – 7:00 — The pop singer has finally reached a crest in her ever-mounting career, which has roots dating back to her Disney days, and it all came together with her first weekend Coachella set. Set against a motel stage design, Carpenter effortlessly breezed through standouts from her breakthrough 2022 album “s I Can’t Send” including “Tornado Warnings,” “Fast Times” and, of course, “Nonsense,” where she custom-fitted the ending to honor the occasion: “All about the balls I’m Cinderella / Only use my mouth, that’s acapella / I’m so glad you came for me Coachella.”

Deftones Outdoor Theater 6:45 – 7:35 — This veteran California rock act showed why they’re still as potent as ever nearly 30 years after the release of their debut album: Powerful, melodic rock with solid choruses, big riffs and chest-thumping drums.

Brittany Howard Gobi 6:45 – 7:30 —The former Alabama Shakes frontwoman still does not play any songs from that group’s small catalog, but the tracks from her vibrantly experimental solo albums take on a whole new life in concert — especially “Stay High” and the new one’s title track, “What Now” — thanks to her ace band and her soaring voice.

Peggy Gou Sahara 9:15 – 10: 15 —One of many top DJs at this year’s festival, South Korea-born Gou served up a set of smooth and gloriously driving dance music.

Peso Pluma Coachella Stage 9:05 – 10:10 — The appeal of this fast-rising Mexican-born superstar may not be immediately apparent when listening to his latest album “Genesis” — which is primarily filled with his updated take on traditional corridos —but live, it all makes sense. He’s an electrifying performer, alternating between hip-hop and musica Mexicana, with a commanding voice and presence and a warm rapport with his band and dancers, and the set’s production values are top notch.

Lana Del Rey Coachella Stage 11:20 —It’s fair to say that opinions were divided on the sultry songstress’ two-hour long set, which hewed closely to her recent tour and, apart from Eilish’s appearance and Lana and two dancers’ exciting entrance on a motorcycle motorcade, remained at cruising altitude. However, her fans loved it, and that’s what really matters.

SATURDAY

Raye Mojave 4:10 – 4:55 —A superstar in her native England, Raye’s concerts can be hit or miss, but she nailed it on weekend one with a rousing set of jazzy alt-R&B culled from her stellar debut full-length, “My 21st Century Blues.”

Grimes Sahara 7:10 – 8:00 —It’s a matter of public record that Grimes’ weekend-one set was an unmitigated disaster, filled with technical difficulties and exasperated exclamations from the Canadian DJ-artist. We’ve seen her before and know she can do much better — and has promised she will for weekend two.

Blur Coachella Stage 7:40 – 8:40 — Coachella’s throwback sets range fr -

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om triumphant returns (see No Doubt below) to under-rehearsed wish-they-hadn’ts. Unfortunately ‘90s Britpop legends Blur — who played a rousing reunion tour last year that included two ecstatic nights at the 90,000-capacity Wembley Stadium —fell into the latter category, with frontman Damon Albarn yelling at the crowd for their unenthusiastic response to the group’s 30-year-old hit “Boys & Girls.” They’ve got something to prove on weekend two.

Charlotte de Witte Mojave 8:05 – 9:20 — One could attend all three days of Coachella and see nothing but dance music — Belgian DJ de Witte’s set was big on melody and songcraft as well as beats.

Ice Spice Sahara Stage 8:30 – 9:00 — On the precipice of her debut album “Y2K,” Ice Spice brought the bars and booty-shaking to her debut Coachella performance, giving a tour of her small discography during her 30-minute set. All the hits were there — “Princess Diana,” “Munch (Feelin’ U),” “Barbie World” — and for added measure, she debuted a new song that samples Sean Paul’s “Gimme the Light.” The crowd was hanging on her every word, but especially went wild when she showed off her twerk skills.

No Doubt Coachella Stage 9:25 – 10:40 — We will admit that we did not see No Doubt coming — this veteran act’s joyous first concert in nine years was one of the most legendary in the festival’s recent history, tightly rehearsed and filled with energy and fun and a career- and generation-spanning setlist; their show was reportedly the most well-attended of the festival. After it concluded, three jaded Variety music writers slacked the following comments to each other: “Wow they were fantastic” / “That’s called killing it” / “They could rock the Super Bowl and tour that show for three years.” Insiders say there are no immediate plans for the group to tour after this, so don’t miss it.

Tyler, the Creator Coachella Stage 11:40 – 1:00 — Based on his past performances at Coachella, fans knew that Tyler, the Creator would bring his A-game to his first headlining set, and that he did. The rapper transformed the stage into a national park with surreal touchstones — him exploding out of an RV at the start (see photo above), a battering ram knocking him off a cliff, a dust storm blowing him away at the end — making for a riveting aural spectacle. But even without the bells and whistles, Tyler captivated throughout with electric energy and seasoned showmanship, adding light comedic touches while addressing the crowd between songs. If you’re looking for spectacle, then Tyler is worth staying up for his very late start.

SUNDAY

Mdou Moctar Gobi 3:30 – 4:10 – Some of the most exciting guitar-based music of this century has come out of West Africa, and Mdou Moctar and his band combine the rhythms and melodies of that region with blazing Hendrix-inspired rock.

Hermanos Gutierrez Sonora 4:50 – 5:40 — It’s hard to imagine that a live performance by this Ecuadorian-Swiss sibling act could be so compelling, but their vividly atmospheric, spaghetti-western-esque instrumentals come to life in a live setting.

Victoria Monét Mojave 6:55 – 7:40 —Variety cover star and best new artist Grammy winner Victoria Monét stuck to what she does best during her first weekend Coachella performance, giving dancing, vocals and all-around attitude. Her set focused mainly on songs from her “Jaguar” EP and full-length debut “Jaguar II,” and armed with an assortment of backup dancers, she proved once again why she’s a can’t-miss inclusion on the lineup.

Khruangbin Outdoor Theater 7:50 – 8:50 — You probably don’t need us to tell you that this utterly unique Houston trio make some of the most “vibey” and instantly identifiable music of any rock-leaning band of recent years —or that Mark Speer is one of the most imaginative guitarists to come down the pike in ages. The group is best in a live setting, and any self-respecting guitarist will be gobsmacked by watching Speer play.

J Balvin Coachella Stage 8:15 – 9:15 — The Colombian superstar’s live sets are always a feast for the eyes, and his set this year could not have been more different from his colorful and kaleidoscopic set from 2019: This one’s elaborately UFO-based theme is initially stark, but gradually gets more and more complex as Balvin soars through his greatest hits, and climaxes with Will Smith appearing before a giant alien head in full “Men in Black” costume, rapping the film’s theme song while Balvin is dragged off by similarly clad agents.

Lil Yachty Mojave 9:20 – 10:10 – One of the most remarkable things about the man born Miles McCollum’s drastic shift in musical direction with his “Let’s Start Here” album is how open to it many of his fans have been: The album’s Pink Floyd-inspired hallucinogenic rock almost could not be further from the Atlanta hip-hop that launched his career, and for his Coachella set, he performed the new material from atop a giant yacht’s prow, and then came down to the main stage for his earlier material —which drove his fans into a frenzy —and then concluded back on board. It’s a refreshing statement of artistic freedom and fan open-mindedness.

Bicep Mojave 10:40 — One challenge about covering dance music is how difficult it is to write about — trust us when we say that this long-running Northern Irish duo knows how to craft an hour of electronic music that’s as compelling as it is danceable.

Doja Cat Coachella Stage 10:25 — If there were any doubts that Doja Cat is a superstar, then her closing Coachella set was wild and wacky enough to put any skepticism to rest. From the bizarre Yeti backup dancers and oversized dinosaur to actual mud moshpitting and a hazmat suit, her performance was an assault on the senses in the right ways. Though the setlist largely hinged on her more recent releases, fans didn’t seem to mind that the show was missing hits like “Say So” and “Kiss Me More.” After all, there was plenty to chew on as she brought the weekend to an end.