Coachella 2019: Top 10 things we witnessed during Weekend 1
Kevin Bronson on
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![The Astronaut roams the grounds at Coachella 2019](https://i0.wp.com/buzzbands.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/18142112/coachella2019-scene7-crop-1.jpg?resize=640%2C360&ssl=1)
While maintaining its status as a pillar of EDM and a place where rap stars come to go big, the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival reached peak pop amplitude this year. It was hard to tell which the young crowds loved more, the piffle from mere viral sensations or the innovators. The festival’s international flavor was stronger than ever, in the lineup and among the crowd.
■ See: Day 1 highlights; Day 2 highlights; Day 3 highlights
■ Set times: Here are Weekend 2 set times.
Maybe Coachella has just become a (very profitable) viral sensation in itself, but, as always, there was plenty to sample. Going into Weekend 2, here’s what stuck in our memory:
Billie Eilish | 9:35 Saturday, Outdoor Theatre
Even with technical issues delaying the start by more than 30 minutes — and further problems sabotaging Vince Staples’ cameo — the 17-year-old still delivered a powerhouse set.
Lizzo | 5:45 Sunday, Mojave Tent
A big, bold performance from a big, bold soul singer, and another artist who had to overcome issues with sound: Lizzo cemented her status as a force of nature and Coachella favorite.
Anderson .Paak & the Free Nationals | 7:05 Friday, Coachella Stage
The first of four great main-stage performances in a row Friday, .Paak was positively riveting, whether drumming, singing, rapping or making nice with everyone who knows where Oxnard is.
Weezer | 8:35 Saturday, Coachella Stage
With an almost cherubic energy, they played the hits — theirs and others’, as Tears for Fears and Chilli from TLC guested, and Weezer closed the set with that Toto song.
Shame | 3:40 Saturday, Sonora Tent
Somebody had to fly the flag for punk rock, and (along with Friday’s set from the Frights) this in-your-face British combo did.
Sofi Tukker | 8:05 Sunday, Mojave Tent
Colorful and caffeinated, the duo of Sophie Hawley-Weld and Tucker Halpern gave a physical performance backed by catchy songs with thunderous beats.
BLACKPINK | 8:00 Friday, Sahara Tent
Well-choreographed and utterly charming, the South Korean girl-group fit right into the internationally-flavored pop zeitgeist of the festival.
Bob Moses | 6:25 Saturday, Outdoor Theatre
This was dance music the way we like it — rocking. The Canadian duo’s music takes you down a rabbit hole where you’re always in motion. Plus, they covered the Prodigy.
Calypso Rose | 5:25 Friday, Gobi Tent
She’s 78 years old and the first calypsonian to play Coachella. If “Young Boy” wasn’t the single-song highlight of the festival, we don’t know what was.
The art installations
The roaming Astronaut of Poetic Kinetics’ “Overview Effect,” first spotted in 2014, returned. So did the worker hippos of “H.i.P.O. (Hazardous Interstellar Professional Operations). Along with the colorful paisleys of “MISMO” and other new installations, there was plenty of eye candy (and backgrounds for your selfies) all over the field.
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