The first weekend of Coachella 2024 delivered a series of unforgettable moments, celebrity sightings and on-stage surprises.
While the festival may be famous for influencer oversaturation, this year so far it’s been a who’s who of A-list stars. From Taylor Swift and Travis Scott to Justin and Hailey Bieber, Will Smith, Billie Eilish and Rihanna and more, a slew of special appearances only added to the festival’s broad appeal.
Technological difficulties, surprising changes in lyrics, flourishes and fashion shoutouts also added some drama to the festivities. Here are some of the best moments from Coachella 2024’s opening weekend.
No Doubt reunited on stage
No Doubt delivered an unforgettable performance when gathered on stage on Saturday. The set marked the first time they performed together since Coachella 2015.
The set list featured all of the band’s biggest hits: “Don’t Speak”, “It’s My Life”, “Just a Girl” and much more. When they finished their last song, the band took an emotional bow to a roaring crowd.
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce were the king and queen
Swift and her boyfriend Travis Kelce took time out of their vacation to enjoy the festival on Sunday. The singer is currently on a two-month break from her massive Eras Tour, and was holding hands – sometimes side by side – with Kelce as they watched performances by his friend and collaborator Jack Antonoff, Ice Spice, Dom Dolla, John Summit and more.
Fans captured videos of Swift and Kelce in the crowd dancing together. At a certain point during Dom Dolla’s set Kelce hoisted Swift above the shoulders for a better view of the crowd.
Grimes’ technical difficulties
Grimes she didn’t have the night she expected on Saturday due to some technical problems. She stopped three times mid-show to apologize, although the crowd continued to support her with applause and encouragement.
“This shit always happens,” she said in her first apology. “All my tracks are twice as fast, so I’m not mixing very well, but I’ll keep trying.”
Grimes interrupted her performance a second time to clarify that the problem was due to her preset mixes being unable to transition to the next song because of the festival’s equipment.
“This is very difficult to explain because it is a complex technology,” she told the audience, as seen in a since the video deleted on twitter. “But everything was put on a double beat, so I’m doing a lot of internal math in my head to make the tracks go together.” She later added: “It’s my fault for turning in the last track about an hour and a half ago, so I take responsibility for that.”
In a third apology, she again acknowledged the pacing issues, adding that “they’re kind of impossible to resolve.”
“The rest of the mixes are going to be a little crazy,” she added.
The next day, Grimes apologized for the fourth time in a post on X: “I want to apologize for the technical issues with tonight’s show,” she wrote before promising that next week’s Coachella performance will be “flawless.”
I want to apologize for the technical problems with tonight’s show. I wanted to come back really strong and normally I always take care of all aspects of my show – to save time, this was one of the first times I outsourced essential things like rekordbox bpm and left…
— 𝖦𝗋𝗂𝗆𝖾𝗌 (@Grimezsz) April 14, 2024
Cameos, cameos, cameos!
Sunday night Will Smith joined J Balvin on stage dressed in his famous suit Men in Black. The actor performed his song of the same title from the hit 1997 film.
Later that day, Doja Cat brought A$AP Rocky and 21 Savage during their set, while Paris Hilton made a surprise appearance during Vampire Weekend’s set on Friday. She later joined the band for a brief game of cornhole.
On Friday night, Lana Del Rey invited Billie Eilish to the stage, where they performed two songs together: Eilish’s 2016 song “Ocean Eyes” and Del Rey’s hit “Video Games” from her album 2012. Born to Die.
Meanwhile, Saturday saw Olivia Rodrigo appears on stage with No Doubt to sing “Bathwater” alongside Stefani. She came out in a white tank top that said, “I [heart] ND.”
Star-studded crowds
Justin and Hailey Bieber were seen sharing a sweet moment on Friday while attending Lana Del Rey’s headlining performance. Jaden Smith joined Bieber’s team later, also after giving Justin a friendly to hug.
Rihanna and A$AP Rocky were also spotted together watching Tyler, the Creator perform on Saturday. Later, Rocky joined him on stage for a surprise performance during his performance.
Charli D’Amelio increased the heat Sunday. The 19-year-old influencer went braless in a sheer white ensemble with a glimpse of black underwear underneath. Shakira, Barry Keoghan, Halle Bailey, Emma Roberts among others appeared in their best festival style.
About that, Real Housewives of New Jersey star Teresa Giudice took a photo with Taylor Swift. Giudice’s husband, Luis Ruelas, took the photo and shared it on Instagram.
The fall of Nelly Furtado
Nelly Furtado gave a masterclass in professionalism as she avoided a fall during a surprise appearance on the set of Dom Dolla.
In a video later posted to her Instagram Stories, the singer gave a thumbs-up with her bloody thumb and laughed about the injury.
“This Barbie likes to rave,” she said in the clip with the caption: “I literally left everything on stage… including my blood . All for you @domdolla.”
Kesha calls out Diddy during Reneé Rapp’s set
On Sunday, Reneé Rapp was joined on stage by Kesha, who sang “Tik Tok” with altered lyrics. Instead of singing the original lines, “Wake up in the morning feeling like P. Diddy,” the duo sang, “Wake up in the morning like F*** P. Diddy!”
The change in lyrics comes shortly after the sexual assault allegations against Diddy. Earlier this month, the feds raided two of Diddy’s homes as part of an ongoing sex trafficking case involving multiple alleged victims.
Last year, Kesha settled her own case with Dr. Luke, whom she accused of sexually assaulting her in 2005.
