INDIO, CA — Thousands of festival goers descended on the Empire Polo Club in Indio for the first weekend of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, to car camp, and enjoy a wide range of artists across different genres.
During weekend one, Sabrina Carpenter performed amid a dust storm on Friday, on Saturday, Justin Bieber headlined, and Coachella was dubbed "Bieberchella" with some festivalgoers jokingly complaining about being stuck in long lines of traffic awash in "Belieber" pilgrims, as the singer's fans are known. While some complained that his set was "lazy" and relied too heavily on YouTube, likening it to "YouTube karaoke," others said it was exactly what he needed.
Hours before Bieber took the stage, rising New York indie band Geese performed a cover of his hit "Baby" — drawing fans to what music critics say could be "the next big rock band, the act that [c]ould shake the dust off of a stale and fractured genre."
A collaboration between the veteran industrial-alt band Nine Inch Nails and German-Iraqi electronic producer Alex Ridha, who records under the name Boys Noize, resulted in the well-received Day 2 performance titled "Nine Inch Noize."
Other highlights included Pink Pantheress, the Strokes, Giveon, Addison Rae, Morat, and singer-songwriter Sombr, who was joined by Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan on the group's hit "1979."
Critics also praised old-schooler David Byrne and veteran rocker Jack White— who was added to the Day 2 lineup only on Tuesday— for showing Gen Zers how it's done.
Sabrina Carpenter headlined Friday and unveiled "Sabrina's Pit Stop," a pop-up experience created in partnership with Airbnb. The installation, located at 82338 CA-111 and open through Sunday, features photo- themed vignettes, custom slushie stations and merchandise for sale.
"This is a full circle moment for me. I wouldn't be here without my fans, so I wanted to created something special just for them. It's not your typical pit stop — I wanted it to feel like a surrealist fantasy land of mine," Carpenter said.
Among the other artists performing across eight stages Friday were The xx, Disclosure, Lykke Li, Joyce Manor, Moby, Swae Lee, Sexyy Red and Katseye.
Friday's festivities were marred a bit by strong winds that sent a heavy light fixture falling onto the crowd during DJ John Summit's set on the Do LaB Stage, striking one fan in the head and drawing blood, according to multiple social media reports.
The winds also led to the cancellation of Italian-American DJ Anyma's performance at Coachella, along with Coachella officials, due to gusts affecting the stage setup.
Wind advisories were sent out by the event, letting concert-goers know to secure EZ-UPS and tents, and hop in vehicles if looking "for a break from the elements," as influencers posted pics and videos of crumpled enclosures. "You've gotta tie your tent to someone else's! and collapse them before you head to a show," one concert-goer advised over social media.
"Coachella and Anyma have made this decision together with your safety as a priority," according to a message projected on the stage screen. Anyma was scheduled to close the main stage on Friday. No additional performances were canceled due to the winds, but the gusts destroyed many campers' tents, leaving some people to chase after their canopies and belongings.
A new addition to this year's festival is "The Bunker Debut of Radiohead Motion Picture House Kid A Mnesia," an installation that features a 75-minute large-format film made of thousands of fragments created by Radiohead lead singer Thom Yorke and English artist Stanley Donwood during the recordings of albums "Kid A" and "Amnesiac." Sketches, paintings, collages, audio recordings and handwritten notes will also be available.
Radiohead is not scheduled to perform at this year's festival.
The Indio Police Department urged attendees and nearby residents to call the department's non-emergency line for concert-related concerns, such as loud music or excessive noise, parking or traffic issues, and loitering. The non- emergency line is at 760-391-4051.
Weekend 2 is scheduled for April 17-19 at 81-800 51st Ave.
Additional festival information can be found at www.coachella.com.
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