After a two-year hiatus, Coachella has finally staged its highly anticipated comeback. The first weekend of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival boasted an impressive line-up of big names, including headliners Harry Styles, Billie Eilish, The Weeknd, and Swedish House Mafia.
Surprise guest performers were in no short supply, with everyone from Snoop Dogg and Justin Bieber to Shania Twain making appearances to the amazement and delight of attendees. Former K-Pop band 2NE1 also had crowds going wild when they graced the stage for their first live reunion in six years.
Here’s a rundown of all the moments you might have missed so far at Coachella 2022.
Billie Eilish said she should not be headlining
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As the youngest-ever headliner in the festival’s history, 20-year-old Billie Eilish has surprised many at just how quickly she’s risen in the musical industry ranks. It seems Eilish herself was in disbelief, taking a moment during her performance to comment: “This is so weird, I should not be headlining this sh-t,” before expressing her gratitude and diving into another song. The singer also invited Khalid to perform their 2018 single ‘Lovely’, and Gorillaz’s Damon Albarn to sing ‘Feel Good Inc’ and ‘Getting Older’.
Harry Styles brought a “star-struck” Shania Twain onstage
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As Harry Styles neared the final minutes of his concert set, he surprised fans with an unexpected guest: country music icon Shania Twain. After the One Direction alum performed the boyband’s 2011 hit’ What Makes You Beautiful’, Twain joined him on stage to sing a rendition of her own classic, ‘Man, I Feel Like a Woman’. “I’m kind of lost for words. I’m a bit star-struck, what can I say?” gushed Twain.
2NE1 surprised everyone with a reunion
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For its special showcase this year, record label 88rising brought out a host of top Asian talents including South Korean rapper and former member of K-Pop girlband 2NE1, CL. After her solo set, CL was joined by her ex-bandmates to perform their 2010 hit, ‘I am the best’, marking their first live performance since the group disbanded in 2016.
Megan Thee Stallion debuted a “very motherf-cking personal” song
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For her first ever Coachella performance, Megan Thee Stallion treated fans to a new, unreleased track that samples Jodeci and Wu-Tang’s ‘Freak’n You Remix’. The rapper shared that the song was “very motherf-cking personal,” and dedicated it to “to whom it may the f-ck concern”. Her set list also featured some of her most well-known singles like ‘WAP’, ‘Savage’, and ‘Sweetest Pie’.
Anitta’s star-studded show
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Brazilian singer Anitta brought the sounds and sights of her home country to the stage for her Coachella debut, whipping the crowd into a frenzy not only with her high-energy performance but with a slew of surprise guests. Snoop Dogg dropped in to help kick off the show, Saweetie came on stage to sing their collaboration track ‘Faking Love’, and Diplo took to the DJ booth for the final few songs of the set.
Justin Bieber showed up to sing Peaches
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Starting off the first night of Coachella with a bang, R&B artist Daniel Caesar brought on Justin Bieber to perform their No. 1 hit ‘Peaches’. “F-ckin’ Justin Bieber, man, it’s crazy, right?” commented Caesar about the pop star, who threw up a peace sign and walked off stage after they shared a hug at the end of his guest performance.
Arcade Fire gave a quick history lesson
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Announced at the last minute as additions to the festival lineup, Arcade Fire took the stage at the Mojave Tent to perform their new tracks along with fan-favourites like ‘Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)’, ‘Ready to Start’, and ‘The Suburbs’, the last of which frontman Win Butler dedicated to “everyone in a punk rock band in the Ukraine right now”. The lead singer also thanked Coachella co-founder Paul Tollett and Pearl Jam, providing a summary of how the festival began:
“That motherf-cker (Tollett) used to book Black Flag. There’s a band called Pearl Jam, and they’re like, ‘Black Flag is the f-cking raddest band ever, so that guy can book our shows.’ At one point, they were like, ‘F-ck Ticketmaster. We’re not playing any venues with Ticketmaster.’….So that’s where the f-ck Coachella came from. So thank you to Pearl Jam, and thank you to Paul Tollett.”
Doja Cat brought out Tyga and Rico Nasty
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Despite announcing that she was planning to quit music, Doja Cat’s Coachella debut showcased a performer who seemed to have zero intentions of slowing down. The artist gave fans a preview of new songs, including ‘Vegas’ which samples Elvis’ ‘Hound Dog’ – set to feature in Baz Luhrmann’s upcoming biopic. During the show, she also brought on Tyga, and a devil costume-clad Rico Nasty who motorboated her on stage.
Swedish House Mafia took us back to when EDM reigned
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After Ye (Kanye West) withdrew as festival headliner, Coachella went with a EDM and hip hop tag-team – Swedish House Mafia and The Weeknd as his replacement. Closing out the first weekend of the festival, the light and visual-heavy show started with Swedish House Mafia’s ‘Can You Feel It’ and concluded with their collaboration song with The Weeknd, ‘Moth to a Flame’.
The Weeknd closed out the weekend
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The Weeknd’s performance on the final night of Coachella’s first weekend featured new songs from his latest album Dawn FM, as well as hits like ‘Blinding Lights’, ‘Save Your Tears, and ‘The Hills’. The artist also performed his verse from the song ‘Hurricane’, on which he collaborated with Ye.
Feature photo: Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival