Jessica Wedemeyer
April 23, 2024 at 4:00 pm PDT
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The first weekend of the 2024 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is officially confirmed! This year’s annual music event is packed with epic surprises, highly anticipated reunions, some major head-scratching events, and more.
However, while some artists have given up on their work entirely, others have left fans seriously disappointed.
Join us as we look back at the 20 most talked about performances of the year – and count down from worst to best…
Read on to find out the best lineup for Coachella 2024…
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No. 20: Grimes
Grimes’ DJ set at Sahara Stage on Saturday night was an epic disaster. The singer-songwriter encountered “significant technical difficulties” while mixing live, prompting her to abruptly stop and restart the song, complain about bad math, scream in frustration, and ultimately cut her performance short. She later apologized to She also acknowledged that she could have done things differently: “Pretend everything is fine and interact with the audience instead of spending the entire show hunched over a table trying to fix software when you’d rather be entertained,” she wrote. (Grimes, by the way, managed to achieve redemption during the second weekend of Coachella.)
No. 19: Blur
Just one year after Gorillaz made waves at Coachella 2023, frontman Damon Albarn is returning to the Empire Polo Club with Blur, the band that first made him a star. The British indie rock band, which reached its peak in the 1990s and released its first album in nearly a decade in mid-2023, failed to connect with the crowd on the main stage on Saturday night. While their 1997 hit “Song 2” was loved by some, Damon’s attempts to spur some audience participation for their 1994 single “Girls & Boys” failed. He was met with widespread silence, prompting one of the most awkward moments of the weekend. “You’ll never see us again, so you might as well sing this song,” he scolded the crowd.
No. 18: Lil Uzi Vert
Lil Uzi Vert is non-binary and his main stage set on Friday night divided fans. On one hand, the rapper’s dance moves went viral. (They executed some flawless voguing on their debut new song.) Uzi’s echoes, on the other hand, seemed to handle most of the vocals during their set. For a long time it seemed like they weren’t rapping or singing live at all.
No. 17: Billie Eilish’s Billie & Friends Party
Billie Eilish delivered an epic surprise to Coachella on Saturday night when she took over the Do LaB stage with her 45-minute set of “Billie & Friends Party.” The history-making Grammy winner debuts three new tracks — including one destined to become the biggest queer anthem of the year — but mostly focuses on covering hits from other artists. It was one of the most well-attended shows of the weekend, which was impressive considering Billie didn’t actually perform anything live, and ultimately left us wanting more.
No. 16: Ice Spice
Ice Spice made the most of her short 30-minute set on the Sahara stage on Saturday night. The 24-year-old rapper, who debuted in 2023 but has yet to release a full album, performed 14 songs, including a new, unreleased track that sampled Sean Paul’s 2001 single “Gimme the Light” and a remix of Taylor Swift’s “Karma.” It’s an impressive feat – although fans were ultimately disappointed when they left the set, as Taylor chose to watch her friends and collaborators in the VIP area rather than on stage with Ice Spice as was widely expected Perform a duet. Ice Spice gave a killer performance, but without Taylor, she couldn’t live up to the hype.
No. 15: Vampire Weekend
Earlier Saturday, Vampire Weekend brought the eccentric band to the outdoor theater stage — just a week after the indie rock band was a belated addition to the 2024 Coachella lineup. Their sound was flawless while rocking out to their biggest hits, as well as some new songs from their Only God Was Below Us album, which was just released in early April. Something strange happened when Paris Hilton joined them on stage to perform cornhole. Inexplicably, an Abraham Lincoln impersonator then took the stage and also played a quick round of cornhole.
No. 14: Water Bat!
Arguably the most interesting group at Coachella 2024? Water bats! The superhero rock band turned the Sonora stage into their own “pool party” – complete with beach balls and a guest list that included “Yo Gabba Gabba!” PEOPLE – Saturday afternoon. MC Bat Commander may not have the most impressive voice, but considering how much he runs and jumps around the stage, can you blame him?
No. 13: Charlotte White
Charlotte de Witte had EDM fans jumping for joy as she took to the Mojave stage on Saturday night with her powerful electronic music. The Belgian DJ shows the uninitiated how she earned the nickname “The Queen of Techno” as she slowly transforms the Empire Polo Club into a full-fledged rave venue.
No. 12: J. Balvin
J Balvin’s Coachella performance included multiple costume changes, an elaborate set, flawless choreography, and a baffling but stunning surprise appearance from Will Smith that had everyone in awe There was a lot of discussion. The multi-talented Oscar winner appeared to perform his debut single as a solo artist, the eponymous 1997 sci-fi action comedy Men in Black. Why? We may never know. But we’re here for it—even if it’s just an obvious gimmick.
No. 11: Doha Cat
Doja Cat’s Sunday night headlining show had everything we love about the Grammy winner’s live show: elaborate sets, wild costumes, flawless choreography, surprise guests (21 Savage and A$AP Rocky among them) etc. However, it also had some unexpected elements that left us a little disappointed: long stretches of silence between numbers, extremely limited dialogue that made the show feel impersonal, and the rapper’s biggest single: the #1 hit of 2020 Conspicuously absent is the single “Say So.”
No. 10: John Samit
John Summit closed out the Sahara stage with an epic dance party on Sunday night, but reneged on critics of his typically mainstream-leaning EDM style. His visuals and lighting further enhanced his set, harkening back to the days when Coachella lineups were nothing without at least a few notable house DJs.
No. 9: Featherweight
If you didn’t know Peso Pluma before, we bet you do now! The Mexican singer performed a Friday night show on the main stage that perfectly blended modern elements (pyrotechnics, hip-hop dancers, a surprise appearance by Becky G, etc.) with the traditional elements that define his style of corridos tumbados Blends together perfectly. He pays homage to the Mexican stars who came before him and is backed by a full band including brass and string sections. well done!
No. 8: Sabrina Carpenter
Sabrina Carpenter took to the main stage Friday night to perform an hour-long movie set and really went above and beyond, kicking off a short film about her crashing a car into a motel. . The pop star then performed in a setting similar to the motel, accompanied by a full band and backup dancers. Notably, she also performed her new single “Espresso” live for the first time.
Seventh place: sublime
Sublime made its Coachella main stage debut on Saturday night with new frontman Jakob Nowell, the 28-year-old son of original frontman Bradley Nowell, who died in 1996 at age 28. Fans are excited for the nostalgic 50-minute set, which is a testament to the reggae rock band’s enduring legacy.
No. 6: Renee Rapp
Renee Rapp put on one of the most talked-about shows at Coachella, thanks to The L Word star Jennifer Beals, Kate Mo Surprise appearances from Kate Moenning and Leisha Hailey (who was introduced by Renee Rapp onstage at the outdoor theater on Sunday night) and Kesha, with whom she performed in her 2009 The hit single “Tik Tok” of the year. The star of the 2024 musical film Mean Girls and the chart-topper “We R Who We R” made a noteworthy change to the lyrics that had audiences cheering: The song no longer begins with Kesha’s original lyrics; “Wake up in the morning” “Feel like P Diddy” – they sang, “Wake up in the morning like f*** P Diddy” in response to abuse and sex trafficking allegations against the music mogul.
Fifth: Without a doubt
It’s the scene that got everyone talking in the months leading up to Coachella: On Saturday night, No Doubt reunited on the main stage for the first time in nearly a decade. A high-energy performance from the ska-influenced pop-rock band – which included several tracks from their 1995 breakthrough album Tragic Kingdom, as well as Olivia Rodrigo’s 2000 A surprise addition to 2018’s single “Bathwater” – certainly lived up to the hype… even if we couldn’t help but notice that Gwen Stefani’s vocals were a little off-key.
Fourth place: Gesafelstein
Gesaffelstein took the outdoor theater stage on Saturday night and left the audience completely stunned with his darker-than-dark EDM music. Wearing an all-black suit and mask, with sparkling eyes, the French DJ belted out a low industrial beat between two giant clusters of black crystals, while a monolith painted in Vantablack stood behind him. This is undoubtedly the most impressive visual feast at the 2024 Coachella Music Festival. Art Attend the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival!
Third place: Chappell Rowan
Chapel Roan has officially arrived! The singer-songwriter and rising queer icon brought her powerful vocals to the Gobi stage on Friday night as she belted out songs from her 2023 debut studio album The Rise and Fall of the Midwest Princess , proving her growing popularity was no fluke. This is the scene queer TikTokers can’t put down!
Second place: Justice
French DJ duo Justice wowed the crowd with a nostalgic set on the outdoor theater stage on Friday night, which also served as the live debut of several new tracks from their upcoming “Hyperdrama” album. is their first album in nearly ten years. EDM fans certainly have a lot to write home about!
First place: Tyler, the Creator
Tyler, the Creator shines with his comedic, National Parks-themed Saturday night headlining show, which includes fun stunts, pyrotechnics, special guest appearances by Donald Glover, A$AP Rocky, Kali Uchi Si and Charlie Wilson, and many more.
