With a lineup featuring approximately 50 different artists performing each day over its 3-day run, the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival has something for everyone. Electronica, rock, pop, R&B, soul, urban, dance and Americana are among the genres celebrated at the fest.
Weekend 1 of the 2024 edition of Coachellafest delivered on the promise of the event, with a wide ranging field of both established legends and rising names bringing their A game to the Empire Polo Field in Indio, April 12-14. Superstar acts typically perform on the large "Coachella" and "Outdoor Theatre" stages, while up-and-comers perform at the festival's smaller stages.
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Amber Mary Bain, aka the Japanese House performs at Coachella on April 12, 2024.
Photo courtesy of Getty Images for Coachella
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Among the early highlights of day 1 were driving alt rock outfit Late Night Drive Home, singer-songwriter the Japanese House (the moniker for English songstress Amber Mary Bain) and New Zealand indie-pop band The Beths.
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From left, Elizabeth Stokes and Benjamin Sinclair of
The Beths performing at Coachella.
Photo credit: (YouTube) |
Later in the day American singer-songwriter Faye Webster thrilled at the Mojave Stage with her introspective and literate original song craft while singer-guitarist Brittany Howard blended soul, gospel, R& B in her set on the Gobi Stage. The day's headliner, Lana Del Rey, delivered a high-profile set including turns from guest stars Jon Batiste, Jack Antonoff (Bleachers) and Billie Eilish.
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Vampire Weekend lead vocalist-guitarist Ezra Koenig at Coachella on April 13.
Photo credit: (YouTube) |
Day 2 of the festival featured an equally strong and diverse lineup of artists. Early Saturday attendees were rewarded with a fun set from Huntington Beach-spawned rock band The Aquabats, as well as a stunning return from indie rock great Vampire Weekend (the latter a last-minute addition to this year's festival), and an inspired set from singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Jon Batiste.
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| Blur guitarist Graham Coxon performing with the Desert Cahuilla Desert Bird Singers on Saturday, April 13, 2024. Photo credit: (YouTube) |
The Coachella Stage hosted terrific full-length sets on Saturday afternoon and evening, with impressive performances from Southern California reggae rockers Sublime, groundbreaking Britpop rock quartet Blur, and the reunion performance by Orange County, CA-spawned No Doubt performing live together for the first time in nine years (Olivia Rodrigo was a guest at the latter's set during a performance of "Bathwater"). Late into the night, The Drums thrilled with a 10-song set of '80s-tinged New Wave originals on the Mojave Stage.
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Olivia Dean performing on April 14, 2024.
Photo credit: (YouTube) |
The final day of Weekend 1 saw outstanding sets from pop punk rockers Taking Back Sunday, American R&B singer-songwriter Victoria Monét and experimental English electronica duo Jockstrap. I was most impressed by Neo soul singer Olivia Dean; performing on the Gobi Stage, the 25-year-old English singer used her soprano in the service of terrific original songs (including the heartfelt "Carmen" and wonderful closer "Dive") that fully connected with the audience during her 40-minute set.
The good news for fans of the annual event is the same lineup is scheduled to return to Indio, Friday-Sunday, April 19-21. Music lovers who are not able to attend the fest in person can catch the majority of performances being live-streamed on the Coachella YouTube site. Visit that Coachella Livestream site HERE.
Information: Coachella.com.
Robert Kinsler
