The 2024 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is underway at the Empire Polo Club in Indio.
On Friday, we saw Lana Del Rey ride in and out of her headlining set on a motorcycle and surprise the crowd with Billie Eilish after Peso Pluma brought the party to the main stage.
That was after a day packed full of music from the likes of Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter, L'Impératrice, Deftones and more. And did we mention that Shakira showed up with Bizarrap?
Saturday might be one of the most Southern California-centric lineups in the festival's history. Beyond headliner Tyler, the Creator, there's No Doubt, Sublime, Blxst, the Aquabats, Kevin Abstract, Militarie Gun. the Red Pears and Gabe Real, among others.
Follow along with all of the happenings at Coachella on Saturday with The Times' August Brown, Danielle Dorsey, Vanessa Franko, Nate Jackson and Mikael Wood.
2:40 p.m. It’s Day 2 of Coachella and the weather has mellowed to mid-80s — downright brag-worthy temperatures compared to L.A.‘s current drear. I started my eating journey at Indio Central Market which, pro-tip: is completely covered so it’s automatically 10 degrees cooler than the rest of the grounds, and a nice respite in between sets with plenty of picnic tables, charging outlets, bars, food vendors and the Heineken House stage off to one side.
I started with Tacos 1986, which specializes in Tijuana-style tacos that come swaddled in corn tortillas with a hefty scoop of guacamole on top. They’ve got a plate with three tacos and they typically ask you to choose one protein, but because it’s early and there was no line, they accommodated my request to try three: carne asada, adobada al pastor and mushroom. I’m taking it as a positive omen for the rest of the day. So much so that I capped it off with a frosé from Kim Crawford Wine’s pop-up. Cheers! — Danielle Dorsey
2:45 p.m. Sporting shades and smiles in their air-conditioned trailer in Coachella’s artist village, Sublime bassist Eric Wilson and drummer Bud Gaugh have the look of two guys who just won the lottery–again–with their band.
Before the newly reformed Sublime take the stage before sunset, the two reflect on what it’s been like picking things up with Jakob Nowell, the son of their fallen friend and former frontman Bradley Nowell, stepping into his fathers sandals to bring their distinct SoCal sound to a generation that never got to see them live. Though they’ve always kept things loose, the airtight rhythm section has no doubt when it comes to finding its swing on the festival world’s biggest stage.
“I mean the timing is incredible,” Gaugh said. “Brad left us when he was 28 and now we have Jakob, who is the same age as his dad was. You know, things are coming together so easily. We know our brother [Brad] is up there working some miracles for us.” — Nate Jackson
3:17 p.m. The Sonora Tent remains my favorite stage at Coachella because it feels like an intimate rock club just dropped into the middle of Coachella. There’s a lot of rock on today’s lineup and I started my day o’ guitars in Sonora with L.A.’s Militarie Gun.
“The idea that anyone here knows us is crazy,” singer Ian Shelton said from the stage.
The band packed a lot into the 35-minute-set, with funny stories about trying to get into Norway. They followed the humor up with a touching moment, dedicating “My Friends Are Having a Hard Time,” to Cola Boyy, an Oxnard musician and former Coachella performer who died in March.
Despite the serious moments, there was plenty of energy to go around, culminating in set closer “Do It Faster.” —Vanessa Franko
3:28 p.m. If you noticed the skies were particularly hazy around Coachella today, blame the 30 mph wind gusts from Friday night.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District issued a windblown dust advisory for the Coachella Valley from Saturday afternoon through Sunday night, with more wind gusts expected. South Coast AQMD recommended people limit their exposure, avoid vigorous physical activity and stay inside with doors and windows closed.
Since that isn’t exactly an option at Coachella, wearing an N95 face mask is suggested for those spending extended time outdoors. From experience, this unfortunately portends a nastier bout of the Coachella cough. Don’t forget a face covering! — V.F.
4:30 p.m. Coachella often feels like an alternate universe where hours can stretch like days and everyday words take on new meaning. Take TKB Deli, an Indio-local, family-run bakery that’s popping up next to Pies and Lows’ shaded pizzeria not far from the Spectra installation. TKB advertises its sandwiches as “giant,” which even before ordering, I thought to be a bold and highly subjective claim. I guess the marketing worked because I ordered the turkey club that comes on a house French roll.
The sandwich is definitely stacked, with layers of sliced turkey, strips of bacon, provolone, thick rounds of tomato and lettuce, plus mayo and mustard. It comes with a side of chips that taste like they’re seasoned with chives or cayenne pepper. Overall, it’s deeply satisfying and a good deal for $20 (in the Coachella universe, we call this a steal), but I still think “giant” is a bit too generous an adjective. - D.D.
4:35 p.m. A partial list of vintage alternative-rock acts — beyond Blur, Sublime and No Doubt — that I wouldn’t have minded seeing at Coachella on this, the day a mid-’90s KROQ playlist came back to life:
That Dog
Matthew Sweet
Belly
Everclear
Supergrass
Cibo Matto
Sloan
Luscious Jackson — Mikael Wood
4:45 pm. Fresh off a bouncy, sweaty set at the Sonora tent, Christian Jacobs, a.k.a. MC Bat Commander of the Aquabats, somehow still has energy to talk about music.
Backstage is turning into a wacky family affair full of crazy characters, from The Adicts singer Monkey to Goldenvoice co-founder Gary Tovar and a cast of costumed day-glo alien creatures from the Aquabats universe.
Sporting his trademark spandex superhero outfit, Jacobs talks about the day being one big full-circle family reunion for the SoCal punk scene. Jacobs reflects on the longevity of his ‘90s spoof band aging well against all of the punker-than-thou contemporaries who are long extinct. Back in the day, the Aquabats stuck out like a sore thumb.
“At the time we came up with the outfit idea, superheroes were super dorky," Jacobs said. "In the '90s when everything was ‘extreme’ or ‘I’m punk rock with a chain wallet,’ the superhero thing was kind of us being punk to the punks. Like, what’s the most nerdy thing we can be? Little did we think that, 25 years later, this would all come back around and still be surviving.”
He remembers his band getting thrown on local bills with hardcore punk bands and getting spat on. “This is what punk was supposed to be,” Jacobs says, smiling with a blacked out tooth and a smeared mustache. “Punk had become such a structured thing, so we said, 'Let’s turn this on its head.' That’s what punk’s supposed to be!”
Roughly three years later, still playing a packed show at the biggest in the world, this triumphant moment was worth a little bit of spit. — N.J.
5:06 p.m. I have seen many a Coachella set and I can guarantee you that the Aquabats’ turn in the Sonora Tent is among the most fun in the festival’s history. The costumed ska-punk band kicked things off with “Pool Party” and a bunch of beach balls thrown out into the crowd. Then the creatures of “Yo Gabba Gabba” showed up. (The Aquabats’ frontman, MC Bat Commander, a.k.a. Christian Jacobs, is the co-creator of the Nickelodeon show.)
By song three, “Frankenstein,” a giant cat and the abominable snowman were on stage. The tent quickly filled to capacity, a notable feat for an early afternoon Sonora set, and among those watching from the crowd was Paul Tollett, president of Coachella promoter Goldenvoice.
With hits like “Karate Body!” and “Cat With 2 Heads!,” the entire set was one big dance party.
And when you thought it couldn’t get any wilder, the band, which formed 30 years ago, played “Pizza Day” and at least four giant pizza slice pool floats were tossed into the crowd. Coachella should put the Aquabats on the bill every year. — V.F.
6 p.m. An unlikely guest appearance during Vampire Weekend’s set: Paris Hilton, who popped out to play a round of cornhole as the veteran indie-rock band did a countrified take on its “Married in a Gold Rush.”
“I haven’t played this game since ‘The Simple Life,’” the reality-TV icon said, referring to her mid-2000s series with Nicole Richie.
Vampire Weekend’s performance was itself a surprise, announced just days before Coachella began on Friday.
Wearing a green-and-white-striped Pogues sweatshirt, frontman Ezra Koenig told the crowd at the Outdoor Theatre that he’d been sitting on a piece of land sipping ranch water in Texas last week when his band got the call to join the bill.
“A week ago we didn’t know we were gonna be here — you didn’t know either,” he said. “Life’s funny like that.” The band’s set mixed crisp VW oldies and a handful of knottier new tunes from the band’s just-released fifth album, “Only God Was Above Us.” — M.W.
6:05 p.m. The sun goes down as the son comes up with Sublime. Jakob Nowell flings his howling, delayed vocals toward as the bang out solid renditions of "Wrong Way," "Pawn Shop," and "What I Got." Despite performing in front of tens of thousands people during a coveted sundown set at Coachella after (technically) playing just one previous show together with Jakob, there's an unshakable confidence in their playing that ensures you'd never know it.
Backed by the rhythm of drummer Bud Gaugh and bassist Eric Wilson, Jakob does a good job at channeling his father's soulful vocals mixed with a lot of growling and wild-eyed theatrics. The iconic Sublime sun logo blazes across the screens. Gaugh banging along in perfect time brought the backbone of the songs back to life, Eric’s bass was the heart beat and the vocals breathed soul back into the nostalgia of LBC's finest.—N.J.
7 p.m. In January, two of L.A.’s most respected underground musicians – Luis Vasquez of The Soft Moon and Juan Mendez, who performed as Silent Servant – died of a suspected fentanyl overdose in downtown L.A. The news devastated local and global electronic and heavy music scenes (Mendez’s partner, Simone Ling, also died the same night).
In the wake of the tragedy, many musicians and fans with ties to their scene have taken a hard look at the escalating risks of drug use today, given the prevalence and deadliness of synthetic opioids like fentanyl in the drug supply. Should a friend suffer an opioid overdose at Coachella or anywhere else, a five minute Naloxone training session in Coachella’s community center might keep them alive.
Anthony Bañuelos is the director of operations for End Overdose, a non-profit that’s administering a speedy training in how to use the nasal spray (also known under brands such as Narcan and Evzio) that can revive someone suffering an opioid overdose. The group has a visible presence at fests across the country, and hopes any and everyone can take his primer to know what to do.
“Overdose is the number one cause of death for individuals from 18 to 45,” Bañuelos said. “We’re seeing 150 deaths per day from synthetic opioids like fentanyl. It’s so important that we spread this lifesaving resource to everybody.”
Bands in L.A. are getting more vocal about the urgency for this. I did the training with Bañuelos – it takes three minutes and will give you the confidence to know the basic steps to save a life in the terrible scenario when you need to use it. The community center is facing the main stage in the Coachella courtyard, it’s absolutely worth doing if you’re here. – August Brown
8:20p.m. Stepping onto the Outdoor Stage exactly at sunset, Jon Batiste’s set was genre-spanning, joyful and an unapologetic celebration of his New Orleans — and broader Southern — roots. The polymath flitted effortlessly from a piano to a mixer to a keytar, playing heavily off of his band and backup singers and dancers, who kept up with choreography that winded from a Second Line march to reggae hip-whining.—D.D.
7:30 p.m Taylor Swift turned up — not as a performer but as a fan — at Coachella on Saturday night to take in a set by her longtime producer Jack Antonoff’s band Bleachers. The pop superstar and her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, were standing (and singing and clapping, Kelce in a white hat and shades) at the side of the stage in the Mojave tent as Bleachers ran through a characteristically exuberant set of its post-Springsteen rock. Swift’s latest album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” is due out Friday. Asked by The Times recently what he could say about the LP, Antonoff said with a laugh, “Nothing — everyone’s got to experience things as they drop.” — M.W.
8:05 p.m. With Batiste freewheeling on the keytar, the grade-school chant “If You’re Happy and You Know It” morphed into “When the Saints Go Marching in” to bringing hip-hop legend Juvenile on stage for “Back That Azz Up,” in a callback to the rapper’s Tiny Desk concert with NPR. Batiste also debuted a new song with Willow Smith, a fun, breezy, Afrobeats-tinged single that shows off Smith’s youthful soprano ahead of the release of her just-announced “Empathogen” project.
To close, Batiste, who emphasized during the set how music is his spiritual practice, requested the crowd lift their hands in time to a gospel chorus. Though Batiste’s talent has long been solidified, his performance harkens back to the early days of Coachella, before any of us thought to capture the experience for the ‘Gram and when it was just about letting ourselves be moved by the music.—D.D.
9:40 p.m. Crowds heaved and phones pointed towards the Sahara Tent as the chorus of Taylor Swift’s “Karma” rang over the speakers during rapper Ice Spice’s set. Would Swift cameo alongside her Super Bowl suitemate? We know she’s here and watching her friends’ sets from the side stages.
Alas, not this time. But no matter, because Ice Spice packed out the Sahara deeper than just about anyone all weekend, and once again proved that her recent pop savvy is backed by some pretty genius hook-writing and vicious rapping.
In her young career, Spice has a pretty full quiver of hits, and cuts like “Bikini Bottom” and “Boy’s A Liar Pt. 2” already have the ring of generational singles to this crowd. “Deli” - and a brand-new single she debuted - knocked plenty hard and proved that collaborations with the likes of Swift and her closing-credits song for “Barbie” have not remotely dulled her sharp edges. She’s come a very long way from the tagged-up train cars of the Bronx that she replicated onstage in the Sahara, but when her debut album “Y2K” finally drops (as she promised in a brief on-screen teaser), she’ll be able to take a well deserved victory lap on one. —
A.B.
9:40 p.m. Well, you can’t pigeonhole Blur as a nostalgia act at Coachella with an hour-long set jam-pa es cked with hits.
The Britpop band played a hit-heavy set when they co-headlined the festival in 2013, but used its time Saturday with some deep cuts, songs from new album “The Ballad of Darren” and a small smattering of hits.
Frontman Damon Albarn used the band’s limited time on stage to tell a meandering story about paying $5 to have his beard trimmed and compared the band to a polo team from Paraguay.
He also said “you’ll never see us again,” seemingly reiterating what he said in an interview in late 2023 about the band going on hiatus again.
It was a disappointment that he stumbled through some of the songs, including “Girls & Boys,” coming in early with the dance-rock hit’s “oh oh ohs.”
However, there were a couple of bright spots in the set, including a performance from the Torres Martinez Coahuila Bird Singers, who joined the band for “Death of a Party” and set-closer “Tender.”
Blur did play its best-known song in the U.S.: “Song 2.” Albarn introduced it as “a song that’s been so good to us.”
“I did catch a TikTok of it being kind of performed by a vacuum cleaner,” he said with a chuckle.
“It is humbling and inspiring at the same time.” —V.F.
9:57 p.m. I was at the last No Doubt show, when the band played the Kaaboo Festival in Del Mar in 2015 and let me tell you, you could feel the tension on stage. The show just started but the vibes are much improved. And they have already played more hits than Blur. — V.F.
1:55 a.m. Tyler, the Creator began his first Coachella headline set around 11:40 p.m.—a bit too late for his tastes.
“Paul T, these are Epstein hours. I want to go to sleep,” Tyler laughed, ribbing Goldenvoice chief Paul Tollett, a longtime champion of his since his earliest days in Odd Future.
Tyler, one of the wildest live performers of his era, would do anything but sleep in the hour and a half to come. For anyone wondering how he might elaborate on the set he just played at his own Flog Gnaw festival in November, here’s his answer: fighting with a giant sheep puppet onstage, getting ripped across the set in a fake windstorm, and toting A-list guests for a career-spanning set that proved his singular place in L.A. music history.
Tyler’s been a fixture at Coachella since 2011, and surely had his eye on a top billing for a long time. But he’s toured extensively since 2021’s “Call Me If You Get Lost” and doesn’t yet have a new album waiting in the wings. You could have caught much of this set at Dodger Stadium five months ago.
But if there’s anything Tyler is good for, it’s rising to challenge with absolute conviction, and he arrived on stage literally bursting through the doors of his trailer, leaving a Tyler-shaped hole in the wall. The scale of this southwest-desert setup was the most impressive of his career, and even now-familiar material like “Lemonhead” and “Dogtooth” felt reenergized by it.
Tyler did allude to the recent dust-up over his friend Jerrod Carmichael’s confession that Carmichael was in love with Tyler (the feelings were not reciprocated). “So you probably saw my homie try to f— me on camera,” Tyler laughed. “I said no, but he was like ‘But what if we filmed it?’” Carmichael’s been catching strays from all over Twitter for some recent stage bits about his unorthodox sexual dynamics lately, so let’s hope he took the gentle ribbing as intended.
But Tyler had more than enough guest star power in reserve to make up for it. Donald Glover came out for “Running out of Time,” an admitted former nemesis for Tyler. “I used to hate that N—,” Tyler joked. “I’m serious I had to go to therapy to sort it out.” Another foe-turned-bud - A$AP Rocky - looked thrilled to be backup on “Potato Salad” and “Who Dat Boy,” and the ageless Charlie Wilson sidled up for a piano-crooning “Earfquake.”
Kali Uchis dropped by to revisit the perennial hit “See You Again,” which seems to find new life on TikTok and Spotify every few months, and will likely do it again after this, while a new generation got to hear ultra-vintage Tyler cuts like “Odd Toddlers” for the first time.
Between his records, fests, fashion and television work, Tyler’s already an industry onto himself, much like his hero and mentor Pharrell Williams. This Coachella set mostly re-affirmed what L.A. rap fans have known for ages—he’s still one of the most fearless, ambitious and entertaining guys walking the earth. But at a set where he could have coasted, he gave the faithful new reason to be rapt for what’s next. He ended with a ferocious “New Magic Wand” and walked up the side of a cliff, suspended on cables and blown to oblivion in an onstage tornado. Wherever he goes from here, we’ll follow. —A.B.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
