The Ultimate Coachella Week 1 Recap

Olivia Taylor

Olivia Taylor (she/her) is a writer, self-proclaimed reality TV buff and uses "Real Housewives" references unironically. Her camera roll is filled with Twitter screenshots and she will definitely talk your ear off for as long as you will let her. Find more of her pop culture ramblings just about anywhere on the internet.

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Apr 17, 2023

Coachella is many things, but boring isn’t one of them. The iconic music festival returned to the Indio, CA desert for another year of incredible (and not so incredible) performances, $23 chicken and noodles, brand-sponsored parties, $400 parking passes, and festival ‘fits guaranteed to inspire your summer style the rest of the year.

While we wait for another round of live music, let’s take a look at all the highlights from the first weekend of Coachella 2023.

Bad Bunny became the first Latino to headline Coachella

The Puerto Rican rapper made history this weekend, becoming the first Latino to headline the festival when he took to the main stage on opening night. His set was filled with cult-favorites, like Tití Me Preguntó,” “I Like It” (sans Cardi B and J Balvin) and "Si Veo a Tu Mamá," a remix of the immortal song "The Girl From Ipanema.”

The rapper, lovingly called Benito by fans, spoke Spanish throughout the majority of his set, per the crowd’s request, setting the record as the first headliner to run through his entire set in Spanish. Bad Bunny confidently explained to thousands how, “Nunca antes hubo uno como yo,“ or: "Never before has there been someone like me.” Benito continued his set, calling out Harry Styles and squashing relationship rumors with Kendall Jenner (which fueled again when the pair were spotted very up-close-and-personal later on).

He also paid homage to the music that made him, filling the screen with short documentary interludes during the show’s transitions. The rapper praised the origin of drums and rhythm from Congo and Nigeria and the history of salsa and reggaeton as he highlighted the numerous artists and musical styles that blended to inform his opening headline act.

There was one particularly awkward moment towards the end of Bad Bunny’s performance, following the introduction of former Coachella headliner and special guest Post Malone.

The crowd was ecstatic as the two artists brought down the tempo for Bad Bunny’s “La Canción,” with Post Malone strumming a guitar. Unfortunately, the act quickly lost steam as the guitar’s audio failed, leading to a series of, well…awkward interactions between the two rappers.

Ultimately, Post Malone shuffled off stage as Bad Bunny finished his set without any more technical difficulties, and fireworks filled the sky as the first night of Coachella 2023 drew to a close.

BLACKPINK showed K-pop is alive and well in the U.S.

BLACKPINK brought the house down, turning the K-pop curious into K-pop stans (or BLINKS, a shortened various of the group’s name which has since been adopted by their fanbase) following their iconic, ultra-choreographed, pop-meets-EDM-meets-hip-hop set on Day 2.

The group — featuring Jisoo, Lisa, Jennie, and Rosé — returned to the stage following their initial 2019 Coachella debut, but as Coachella headliners this time. And they continued to make Coachella history, not only as the fest’s first K-pop headliner, but as the first Asian headliner of any genre and the first-ever girl group to receive that big-font billing. Not only have they reached new levels of Coachella history, they also join the ranks of the few female Coachella headliners, including Beyoncé, Björk, Billie Eilish, Ariana Grande, and Lady Gaga.

BLINKS everywhere were delighted as the group absolutely dominated the stage, bringing back choreo and hair flips not seen since Beyoncé’s headlining set in 2018. BLACKPINK performed fan-favorites like “Pink Venom,” “How You Like That,” “Kill This Love,” “Pretty Savage,” and a laser-beamed, rave-ready rendition of “Boombayah,” among others. Oh, and you couldn’t miss Lisa’s stripper-pole performance.

Frank Ocean performed for the first time in six years

The ever-elusive pop-soul star closed out the first weekend of Coachella 2023 with a set filled with intimate solos from “Channel Orange” and “Blonde,” new music, and a touching tribute to his brother – all of which are overshadowed by the set’s stunning dud of an ending due to local curfew rules.

Despite the singer’s late start to the show, Ocean became the first gay man to headline the festival, becoming one of the many artists to make history at Coachella.

“Guys, I’m being told it’s curfew, so that’s the end of the show. Thank you so much,” Ocean said abruptly after a song. Coachella typically has a midnight curfew for its Sunday shows, but the disjointed ending left some fans stunned, and others furious.

Ocean opened his set with “Novecane,” the standout from his breakout mixtape, “Nostalgia, Ultra,” before launching into a few “Channel Orange” songs, including “Crack Rock” and “Bad Religion.” The “Blonde” creator hasn’t released an album since 2016, but the 35-year-old has released several singles since then, some of which he played on Sunday.

Ocean, who reportedly suffers from severe anxiety, also briefly addressed the 2020 passing of his 18-year-old brother, Ryan Breaux.

“My brother and I, we came to this festival a lot, and I feel like I was dragged out here half the time,” Ocean said. “One of my fondest memories was watching Rae Sremmurd with my brother, plus (our friend) Travis.” He added, “I know he would’ve been so excited to be here with all of us today, and I want to say thank you for the support and the ears and the love over all this time.”

Ultimately, his performance wasn’t enough for many fans, especially those who spent all day at the main stage awaiting his set. Even casual fans left disappointed, as Ocean didn’t play many of his biggest hits, such as “Thinkin ‘Bout You” and “Pyramid,” and lip synced to several of his songs.

Blink-182 reunited for the first time in almost a decade

The rock band made it look like no time had passed at all, as they took to one of Coachella’s many stages on Friday for an exciting reunion ahead of their upcoming album. The original trio – Tom DeLonge, Mark Hoppus, and Travis Barker – played their greatest hits and their new single, "Edging," as well as fan-favorite mash-ups. The band closed with "Dammit," folding in a cover of TLC's 1999 hit "No Scrubs," with DeLonge singing the lyrics as the crowd went wild.

All of the other music acts you might’ve missed

TBH it’s hard to keep track of every artist who performed this year, but here are some more highlights.

Labrinth, who produced a myriad of iconic songs including Euphoria’s theme song, brought superstar Billie Eilish on stage for a series of incredible duets, including “Never Felt So Alone.”

We’re officially Doechii fans after seeing her incredible set on Friday. The rapper absolutely killed it, singing hits like “What It Is (Block Boy)” and “Crazy” alongside intense choreography that we can only dream of doing.

Charli XCX brought the heat with her pop performance, welcoming Troye Sivan to thousands of fans for a rendition of “1999.” Of course, Charli also rocked it with “Vroom Vroom” and “I Love It.” We can’t imagine doing all that in black leather under the desert sun, so major props to her.

Flo Milli was of course a highlight, and she made sure her set was all about the ladies. “Where are my bad girls at,” she asked the crowd over a dozen times as fans called back. Her set consisted of all of her hits, and she welcomed fellow rapper Monaleo for “We Not Humping,” who announced her pregnancy on Twitter just hours before the set. Milli closed with her latest hit, “Conceited.” She called out to her fans one last time: “Ladies, I wanna hear y’all!” And, of course, they happily obliged.

Spanish singer-songwriter Rosalia had fans on their feet as she sang TikTok-famous “Bizcochito” and welcomed her new fiancé, Puerto Rican singer Rauw Alejandro, to the stage. Oh, and BTW our girl Selena Gomez made a guest appearance (and right in front of ex-bf Justin Bieber).

Producer Metro Boomin went all-out for his Coachella set, bringing together Future, Don Toliver, John Legend, Diddy, and 21 Savage.

Remi Wolf was an absolute must-see, even for festival goers who weren’t already fans. The singer-songwriter gave fans her all, singing “Disco Man,” “Wyd,” “Photo ID,” and more.

DJ Calvin Harris, who is known for his lengthy catalog of collabs, made his return to the California desert for a highly-anticipated set. Though fans gleefully belted out the lyrics to Calvin classics like "Summer" and "This Is What You Came For," Harris only welcomed Ellie Goulding to the stage, a bit disappointing for fans hoping for heavy-hitters like Rihanna, Katy Perry, or Florence Welch.

And finally, we have to mention supergroup boygenius. The group, composed of Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus, brought all the indie vibes to the festival grounds with songs like “Salt In The Wound” and “Me & My Dog.” All of the women are solo artists as well, but fans are thrilled whenever they come back together.

The coolest brands in the desert

Far from their camping and indie music roots, Coachella now attracts hundreds of brands to the Indio desert each year for bespoke events, influencer giftings and exclusive afterparties only for those in-the-know. Humorously called the “influencer Olympics,” brands are fighting for visibility and throw some of the coolest events and activations, garnering the talent and attention of IRL celebs. Here are all the best brand events that made a splash this weekend:

Celsius Oasis – feat. 818, McCharlie’s

This was the it-party for celebs and influencers this year, taking over the coveted #1 slot from Revolve. Celsius, an energy drink that just launched its new Oasis Vibe flavors, welcomed Gryffin to the stage as celebs flocked to watch. Guests included Victoria Justice, Madison Beer, Shaun White, Alessandra Ambrosio, and Jasmine Tookes, alongside reality TV celebs like Ariana Madix and Scheana Shay.

Revolve Fest – feat. Supergoop, Erewhon, Quay, Saint James

Revolve has become a staple of sorts at Coachella, attracting the likes of major celebrities and influencers, from Kendall Jenner to Leon Bridges, Suki Waterhouse, Camila Morrone and Shay Mitchell. The event was certainly star-studded, and welcomed performances by Ice Spice and Don Toliver.

Camp Poosh – feat. Aveda, ByChari, Alice, Eucerin, Slip, Smart Sweets

Staying true to their wellness-roots, Poosh welcomed influencers to a glittering desert oasis complete with a sparkling pool in the center of it all. This desert féte was everything you can dream of, complete with an exclusive performance by Mike Posner, suitcases of free products, free piercings and tattoos by JONBOY, hair styling, arts and crafts and more. TBH, this is a wayyy more relaxing approach to a festival weekend, and we’re here for it.

The festival was filled with plenty of other events, including night time parties like Neon Carnival, Nylon House, TAO Desert Nights and more, where celebs like Leonardo DiCaprio, Irina Shayk, Lil Nas X, and Post Malone were spotted while Alesso, Diplo, and others performed.

The restaurants feeding the festival

First off – all of this food (sans the free food you can get at private parties/events) is crazyyy expensive. Like $22 for two bao buns expensive. Despite this, Coachella attracts some of the best food in LA for this weekend-long party, and we’d be remiss not to share some of the great restaurants feeding the weekend’s festival goers.

Alfalfa

We’ll take a donut and breakfast burrito anytime.

Bang Bang Noodles

I mean, you can’t say these don’t look divine.

Broad Street Oyster Co.

As a New England girl, I question any seafood restaurant (especially one in a desert) claiming to deliver great seafood, but Broad Street might be the real deal.

Burger She Wrote

We cannot recommend their burgers more. Seriously. They’re insanely delicious.

Cena Vegan

100% vegan Mexican street food? Count us in.

Monty’s Good Burger

We’re passionate about a good burger, and Monty promises to deliver.

Ggiata

The TikTok famous, East Coast inspired but West Coast based deli is bringing their delicious Italian-style deli fare to the desert, and honestly we’re craving this lunchtime staple.

KazuNori

TBH, hand-rolled sushi in the desert sounds a tad questionable, but KazuNori is known for their insanely delicious and ultra-fresh sushi it might just be worth the risk.

McConnell’s Fine Ice Creams

Try what TIME Magazine calls the "best in the world” in between music sets. Sounds like a win-win to us.

Brit + Co’s best dressed ✨

Over the past few years Coachella has become *the* place to debut your best festival fashion for all of social media to see. Here are all of our favorite fits from Week One.

Madison Bailey

From the Outer Banks to the California desert, Bailey can bring style to any landscape.

Amy Julliette Lefévre

Iconic. That’s it. That’s all we have to say.

Tasha Ghouri

The former Love Island UK contestant is known for her impeccable style, but she really showed out in Barbie-core for Coachella.

Cinzia Bay Liszullo

We’re here for this Y2K homage.

Model Roz

A dash of color can spice up any outfit, and Roz’s Coachella look is stunning.

Millie Baccini

We’ll take some sparkle any day.

Olivia Culpo

The texture, the layers…it’s giving everything that Coachella should be giving.

Bria Jones

More 👏 racer 👏 jackets 👏 at 👏 Coachella 👏 please.

Maryam Adebisi

Loving this denim on denim moment.

Chase Marie Wise

This is what we picture when we think of the perfect Coachella fit.

Whew – that was a lot. Now who’s ready to do it all over again next weekend?!

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Photo: Frazer Harrison / Staff / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images

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