COACHELLA 2026

As a Southern Californian who grew up liking electronic music, Coachella has always been a big deal to me. In high school I used to print the poster with the festival lineup and stick it under the plastic cover of my binder. I lost interest over time as the festival took on a more mainstream audience but now that I’ve fully committed to the pop life, this was the first year in over a decade that I felt truly invested again. Here's a rundown of all of the acts I caught on the live stream this year:

BREAKOUT, STAR MAKING PERFORMANCES

SLAYYYTER

Really perfect timing for Slayyyter. Not in terms of her set time (3:30pm on Friday), but she got the perfect opportunity to capitalize on the buzz around her new album Wor$t Girl In America and she really delivered. Her stage presence and voice were really impressive. "Wor$t Girl In America" was already a strong album of the year contender for me but seeing her perform the songs live elevated it to a whole new level. There were some sound issues weekend one (whoever left the ambient in-between sets music playing on the live stream is on my list) but everything seemed resolved by weekend 2. Both performances felt like we were witnessing the arrival of a new rock star. This feels like just the start for a new level of what I think will be a hugely successful career for her.

Highlights/Memorable Moments:
Slayyyter screaming "YES GOD" might be what I remember most about this festival in five years.

PINKPANTHERESS

PinkPantheress has improved so much as a performer. She looked confident and these sets felt like a step up in the pop girl hierarchy. The show’s narrative felt streamlined and self-assured. It was great to see her have such a positive crowd reaction and all of the guest musicians she was able to get to come onstage for just a little appearance felt to me like she (deservedly) is really respected by her peers. Weekend 2 guests were hard to beat for me but both performances were fun. No notes here. Happy birthday Pink!

Highlights/Memorable Moments:
Ninajirachi, Slayyyter and Meg Stalter all on stage together - couldn't really imagine a combo I would like more. Also great to see the warm reception Ninajirachi got from Pink's crowd, she deserves it.

MAIN STAGE

SABRINA CARPENTER

While I thought PinkPantheress' set was perfectly sized, my hot take is Sabrina Carpenter went too big. I think, although impressive, there was just too much happening - it felt out of control and chaotic. The little celebrity cameos were cute but didn't add much to the show overall. It felt like they were mainly used as a vehicle to give the staff time to change over the massive set pieces. Plus, it unfortunately felt like the weekend 2 guests were a downgrade, I got the impression that the audience didn't even recognize Geena Davis (whose peak was decades before most of them were born). It was a totally solid and charming performance from Sabrina but the songs got swallowed up by the grandness of the whole experience. I would have preferred if she kept it a little simpler...maybe only 2 or 3 massive set changes instead of almost every song.

Obviously very cool to see Madonna and a huge deal for Sabrina to be able to perform with her. I couldn't get over the concern that Madonna was going to trip though and she was bringing a kind of “what’s grandma going to say next?” energy. I could definitely see Madonna the festival playing next year.

Highlights/Memorable Moments:
It was all worth it for this reaction image

THE STROKES

The Strokes are responsible for some of my favorite songs of all time so it's always a treat to see them live. I remember when they were announced to play Coachella in 2002 thinking it was the coolest thing ever. I was a bit nervous going in because I’ve seen videos of some less than ideal festival sets in recent years but I was pleasantly surprised. Everyone sounded great and the band had good energy. They're an easy band to dunk on online but in reality they have many songs that have stood the test of time and the band played them well. Their audience both weekends was not great, I imagine a lot of people camping out to see Justin Bieber towards the front created an awkward energy but they still delivered.

Highlights/Memorable Moments:
Someone should edit together just the moments of Julian Casablancas talking. It would be the worst/best standup comedy album ever.

ADDISON RAE

Addison Rae's performance isn't going to win over anyone who isn't already on board but lucky for me I've been on the Addison Rae train the whole time. I was feeling a bit more critical weekend 1 however, watching weekend 2 I was more convinced of her vision. It was a really breezy, fun and cool presentation of these songs I already really enjoy. She had great energy and I was more impressed with her vocals than I expected. Her performance with Olivia Rodrigo really sealed the deal. I thought Addison breathed some life into Olivia's single which felt a little drab to me on initial listen and they had decent chemistry for two people who may not have have spent much time together in reality. If I'm dreaming up an ideal album cycle for Olivia Rodrigo I could definitely see her taking a headlining spot next year.

Highlights/Memorable Moments:
Seeing Addison Rae and Olivia Rodrigo together reminded me of the feeling of watching the 1996 NBA All Star Game...like what do you mean I can watch Shaq pass the ball to Michael Jordan?

JUSTIN BIEBER

Justin Bieber has never been someone I've been interested in so I went in not really knowing what to expect. I was put off by his YouTube-Premium-advertisement style performance from weekend 1 but after talking to a friend who was more on board I went into weekend 2 with more of an open mind and felt that he delivered a good, intimate and unique performance. He’s clearly capable of creating a very specific vibe and if you can get on that level it totally works, I'm just not immediately there but can appreciate it.

Highlights/Memorable Moments:
Watching Billie Eilish live out her 9 year old Belieber self's dreams was sweet. Also his remix of SZA's "Snooze" was great.

MY GOATS

Ninajirachi

Ninajirachi is one of my favorite discoveries of the last couple years so I went into her set with pretty high hopes. Although great, I did wish she would have incorporated some more live elements to her performance. It felt more like her hyping up the crowd over the pre-recorded tracks which was probably great for the crowd in person but didn’t translate as well on the live stream. I don't hold it against her though, it's probably right for her to prioritize the audience in front of her rather than the people at home. Cool that Porter Robinson came out to play with her, I know he's a huge inspiration of hers so I bet it was a big deal. I'll never forgive Coachella for not live streaming her weekend 2 performance with Underscores.

Highlights/Memorable Moments:
Probably would have been her new song with Underscores if I could have seen it! C'mon Coachella what are you doing!

JANE REMOVER

Definitely my favorite set of weekend 1 (and probably would have been my favorite of weekend 2 if there was a live stream!) which isn't surprising given Jane is one of my favorite artists ever. It was totally blown out and they couldn't have looked cooler in their all black rock star outfit. Their live stream was also my favorite as far as effects and production. It was really well shot and the different filters and effects really added to an already off the charts cool performance. The set itself was the best I've watched and heard from the Revengeseekerz era. The mix was great and their performance was high energy and just so cool. Have I said "cool" enough?

Highlights/Memorable Moments:
Jane screaming the "Jealous?" sample from the beginning of "Dancing With Your Eyes Closed." Also, I hope someone eventually opened the fucking pit.

OKLOU

Really solid set both weekends from oklou. It felt like any issues or kinks from weekend 1 were worked out for weekend 2. There were some really great lighting effects that felt like they were meant to mimic the music videos and album art which were definitely successful (loved the lights in the flute and guitar). She did a great job of translating some pretty soft and gentle music into a more hostile environment and making it a fun experience for the crowd. Plus she's one of the few artists I saw that did basically a whole west coast leg of her tour in between Coachella weekends. And with a baby! Crazy!

Highlights/Memorable Moments:
I can't help it, if anyone brings out Underscores it will be a highlight for me. Their performance of "Harvest Sky" was mixed a little awkwardly but still really cool to see them together. This one was more like seeing Batman and Superman interact.

EVERYONE ELSE

JACK WHITE: I’ve been listening to Jack White for 25 years, and he still impresses me live. It feels like you could call him with 10 minutes notice and he'd pull out an incredible show. He didn't seem put off at all about being on a small stage earlier in the day, if anything he seemed happy to be the one able to set the tone and the energy for the rest of the day. A real professional.

NINE INCH NOIZE: Really great and impressive performance, especially considering that Trent Reznor is 60. It was a cool experience to hear alternate versions of songs that have been so ubiquitous throughout my life. I go back to the Boys Noize version of the Challengers soundtrack every few months so it was fun to see them perform together. The visuals were cool and impressive but this is a little too accurate:

TURNSTILE: I always enjoy Turnstile when I hear them on the radio but they're never a band I seek out. Their set was really high energy and fun to watch. Definitely a solid, dependable band.

GEESE: I really try with Geese. I put their set on both weekends and made it about 2 and a half minutes each time. Once that guy starts singing I really gotta get out of there.

ETHEL CAIN: She's been on my radar for a while but I never really checked out her music until now and I'm glad I did! It wasn't what I was expecting but it was really cool and I've been listening to her music since the weekend 1 performance.

To wrap everything up, Coachella was great this year if only because it gave us this photo of Jane Remover, Ninajirachi and Underscores together:

I'm only kind of kidding when I say I'm going to get this printed out poster sized and hang it in my living room. When I said earlier I couldn't imagine a combination of people I would like more than Ninajirachi, Slayyyter and Meg Stalter I lied, because this is it. This is my personal version of that famous photo of David Bowie, Iggy Pop and Lou Reed. Someone more creative than me needs to come up with a name for their triple collaboration album because I'm manifesting it.

Looking forward to 2027!