Happy Frank Ocean Day! Live updates from Coachella Day 3
frank ocean #frankocean
Welcome to the third and final day of our live coverage of the 2023 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
Today’s headliner is the elusive, enigmatic R&B singer Frank Ocean, who hasn’t performed in concert since 2019, and hasn’t played these parts since back in 2017. Who will he bring out during his set? Will he drop new music and rejoin the fray of working musicians? Stay tuned here; all will be revealed.
Sunday’s lineup is arguably the fest’s strongest and most progressive, featuring Björk, Kali Uchis, Glorilla, Sudan Archives, Weyes Blood, Dominic Fike, IDK, Latto, Christine and the Queens, Rae Sremmurd, Alex G and many more.
Saturday was no slouch, either: K-pop’s Blackpink more than earned its headline slot, and sets from boygenius, Rosalía, Calvin Harris, the Breeders and Ethel Cain were standouts.
The Times’ Mikael Wood, August Brown, Suzy Exposito, Kenan Draughorne and Vanessa Franko are roaming the grounds of Indio’s Empire Polo Club and reporting on all the action as it happens.
1:15 p.m. Rise and shine, Coachella! The sun is beaming down extra hard today, so be sure to pack your sunblock.
Last night saw a razor sharp set by K-pop femme fatales Blackpink, who slayed the main stage. This evening, the enigmatic singer-songwriter Frank Ocean is slated to headline, marking his first live performance since 2017; this is sure to unite the sadbois, sadgirls and sadtheys in cathartically tearful harmony. — Suzy Exposito
1:30 p.m. I started off my day “early” with an iced coffee, a pupusa and a charming 1 p.m. set by the first all-female, Gen-Z sierreño group, Conexión Divina — altogether, a breakfast of champions. The L.A. trio, who all met serendipitously on Instagram, regaled the Sonora tent with mellow mountain jams from their new album, “Tres Mundos,” a collection of ethereal and emotionally intelligent regional Mexican ballads. Conexión Divina also added extra spice to their set with a corrido-style cover of Bad Bunny’s reggae song “Me Fui de Vacaciones,” then a cover of “Como la Flor,” by the patron saint of Mexican fly girls, Selena Quintanilla. — S.E.
3:05 p.m. At the Outdoor Theater, a pan-Latin American circle pit has commenced! Legendary ska rockers Los Fabulosos Cadillacs stoked the Sunday crowd with a number of brassy punk anthems, including “Mal Bicho” and “Matador.” Flurries of flags from various countries were spotted in the mass of skanking Latinos, during their 45-minute set, including those representing Mexico, Puerto Rico and the band’s home country, Argentina. — S.E.
3:15 p.m. After walking onto the Mojave stage shortly after 3 p.m., IDK needed a minute on stage to breathe.
“I been preparing for this moment my whole life,” the Maryland rapper told the audience while soaking in preemptive applause.
IDK themed his set around Formula 1 racing, sporting a black race suit with the year 1965 emblazoned across its chest. The set wasn’t entirely zooming at 100 mph — the Maryland rapper took moments to let the crowd catch its breath, whether on the gentle groove of Breathe” or during the literal pit stop when crew members emerged from the stage wings to tie his shoes. Near the end, he brought out Rich the Kid to perform their collaboration “850 (We On Top)”, along with Rich’s hit “Plug Walk.”
“It felt surreal man,“ IDK said in the media tent after his performance. “Playing Coachella was something I always wanted to do. Being that it was such an early set, I wasn’t sure if people would show up, but they showed up and showed out.”
The set design hinted at the concept behind his forthcoming album, “F-65.” The concept is a metaphor for the human race, wanting to use supercars and their competition-driven humans to drive the point home.
“I learned to love racing from wanting to have a concept about race,” he said. “l spent all my time learning about it. I watched every [Mercedes] 190e, [Lamborghini] EVO2 video on YouTube. I really live that s—.” — Kenan Draughorne
3:20 p.m. Stick Figure is bringing laidback reggae rock vibes to the Outdoor Theatre stage on this sunny Sunday. The only thing missing for the quintessential SoCal afternoon is a Sublime song. Oh wait, here’s a cover of “Summertime.” — Vanessa Franko
3:55 p.m. I was wandering around the field when the sound of fast guitars and a blond woman jumping around the stage drew me into the Gobi Tent. This is the magic of Coachella.
“I don’t know if you know it or not, but you came to a punk show,” R&B singer-songwriter Fousheé told the crowd.
I didn’t, but judging by the members of the crowd putting their hands in the air at her prompt, I’m not the only one who is happy to be here. — V.F.
4:07 p.m. A+ bit of demography from GloRilla to open her main-stage set: “I don’t know how many ratchet bitches we got in the crowd today,” the Memphis rapper said, “but we got one onstage.” — M.W.
4:10 p.m. Coachella fans who best recognize Fousheé from co-writing Steve Lacy’s R&B smash “Bad Habit” might not have expected the metalhead riffing and blasts of drum fills that filled her stage during her late afternoon set. But for the already converted, they came ready to circle pit.
There’s something deeply admirable about Fousheé’s commitment to demolishing the Top-40 potential she had after writing one of last year’s biggest hits. She’s written and sung with Lil Wayne, James Blake, Lil Yachty and Vince Staples, but at Coachella, her set was rife with gnarled punk songs like “Stupid B-“ (with its memorable hook, “I’ll blow your brains out you stupid b-“) and “Deep End,” where she taunted a man that “he can’t afford me, he can’t afford me.”
With a great backing band of long-haired hessians and a few swirls of sampled atmospherics, the singer, dressed in a black and chrome bondage skirt, got a perverse glee out of upending expectations. Her 2022 album “Softcore” was an intriguing if uneven lash of noise and cooing R&B, but onstage Sunday, she dove in ready to wound the crowd herself, then pick them back up.
“It’s really hot, don’t pass out,” she implored her fans. “But I’ll come rescue you if you do.” — August Brown
5:16 p.m. The Coachella app sent an alert that the festival’s parking lots are full and encouraged those still arriving to park at Indian Wells Tennis Garden roughly 8 miles away to catch a free shuttle. Clearly Frank Ocean is going to attract a very large crowd tonight. — V.F.
5:20 p.m. In what she said was her “first time properly doing this show,” Romy — better known as Romy Madley Croft of the xx — layered soulful, ethereal vocals over thrumming electronic beats in a moving solo set that climaxed with back-to-back renditions of her songs “Enjoy Your Life” and “Strong.” The music’s mix of melancholy and euphoria recalled the great mid-‘90s work of Everything But the Girl; so too did Romy’s very Tracey Thorn-ish rescaling of a club diva’s wail. — M.W.
5:30 p.m. Coachella 2023 marks Porter Robinson’s fourth year performing at the festival, but the musician, producer and DJ said he still gets nervous.
“I feel like a new artist every single time back here, like I feel like I’m making my debut,” he told The Times on Saturday.
Robinson, who got his Coachella start in the Sahara Tent in 2012, brought out a full band for his performance on the main stage late Sunday afternoon.
This year his set included something Robinson hadn’t yet done at Coachella — play guitar.
“I love standing on stage and playing it. It’s such a good feeling, that’s something I’m thinking about a lot,” he said.
A few songs after opening with “Look at the Sky,” Robinson grabbed an acoustic guitar for “Something Comforting” off his album “Nature,” and told the crowd about how nervous he was and how he had been practicing. After one aborted attempt, he tried again and got a bit closer.
In a set that also included “Everything Goes On,” “Musician” and “Sad Machine,” Robinson brought out Madeon for “Shelter.” The two performed together at Coachella in 2017.
Robinson has a busy few weeks ahead. Not only does he have a late afternoon performance slot on Coachella’s largest stage this Sunday and next, after that he’s getting married. — V.F.
5:35 p.m. As if fresh off a girls trip down “Mad Max: Fury Road,” Atlanta rapper Latto and her dance crew made a pit stop at the Sahara stage in suede tan getups and tall fur boots. Ensconced by glittering, jumbo-sized cherries, Latto blazed through her set with a fierce gusto, dropping a new song against subtweeting — its title inaudible under the screams — as well as voicing support for Megan Thee Stallion in “Budget” and ushering in fellow femcees like TiaCorine, Lola Brooke and Saweetie to share her shine. She also rallied for reproductive freedom as dancers raised pink signs that read “My body, my choice” to the tune of her 2022 anthem, “Pussy” — “My ovaries ain’t for you to bully,” shouted Latto. The South, indeed, still got something to say! —S.E.
5:47 p.m. While Bad Bunny was Friday’s top headliner on Friday, L.A. singer-songwriter Weyes Blood brought out her own misbehaving creature on Sunday—a giant costumed dog in a cheerleader outfit sent in to rile up her crowd in the Mojave Tent.
“Who was that guy,” she joked as she shooed him off and prepped another one of her regal, synthy folk tunes with the artist’s pristine white dress billowing around her. Long a veteran of bicoastal noise scenes, the singer born Natalie Mering has finally achieved the deserved career liftoff she’s been looking for. Her 2019 Sub Pop debut “Titanic Rising” was a career best, and its follow up “And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow” moved the needle even further with its wispy, transcendantal vibes and church-reared vocals.
Even when the music turned more somber, she had a wry humor about the whole gig. “Now we’re gonna start the rave portion of the set,” she told her audience, pointing to her head. “It’s not dark yet but it can be dark up here, if you know what I mean.”
Then came “Twin Flame,” a decidedly un-ravey torch tune that nonetheless brought bystanders into the tent to hear what the roars was about. Watching y our career leap a few tiers in influence can be daunting, what a treat see Mering having such a silly, upbeat go of it. —A.B.
6:01 p.m. It was easy to figure out who Marco Salazar de Leon wants to see at Coachella on Sunday: The 34-year-old from San Diego was wearing a swan dress.
“My fashion inspiration was Björk at the Oscars and yeah, I decided to kind of just come because Björk’s playing.” — V.F.
Under the magical glow of golden hour, Colombian American chanteuse Kali Uchis hosted an ultra femme dream disco at the Coachella stage. Dolled up in denim, the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter spellbound the crowd with her R&B balladry, which she performed with the coy, Old Hollywood allure of burlesque icons like Cyd Charisse and Lili St. Cyr. Kali then lifted the mood with her Kaytranada-assisted song “10%,” and welcomed her talented besties Tyler, the Creator and Omar Apollo as her esteemed guests of the evening. She then wedged in a medley of reggaetón tributes, including covers of El General’s “Rica y Apretadita” and Lorna’s “Papi Chulo… Te Traiga el Mmmm” — and eased into a sumptuous bolero track from what she says will be her upcoming album in Spanish, the follow up to her stellar 2023 LP “Red Moon in Venus.” SE**
6:20 p.m. Under the magical glow of golden hour, Colombian American chanteuse Kali Uchis hosted an ultra femme dream disco party as the sun began to set at the Coachella stage. Dolled up in denim, the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter entranced the crowd with her R&B balladry, performing her songs with the coy, Old Hollywood allure of burlesque icons like Cyd Charisse and Lili St. Cyr. Kali then lifted the mood with her Kaytranada-assisted song “10%,” and welcomed her talented besties Tyler, the Creator and Omar Apollo as her esteemed guests of the evening. She then wedged in a medley of reggaetón tributes, including covers of El General’s “Rica y Apretadita” and Lorna’s “Papi Chulo… Te Traigo el Mmmm” — and eased into a sumptuous bolero track from what she says will be her upcoming album in Spanish, the follow up to her stellar 2023 LP “Red Moon in Venus.” —S.E.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.