Coachella liveblog: Frank Ocean leaves fans waiting; Tyler, the Creator joins Kali Uchis

Festivities are in full swing at the Empire Polo Club in Indio for the 2023 installment of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, which kicked off Friday. And while we've known the lineup for months ― headliners are Bad Bunny, BLACKPINK and Frank Ocean ― the set times announcement late Wednesday night brought a few surprises, including a Weekend 1 addition: A Blink-182 reunion.

Check back here for the sights, sounds, special guests and magic moments that make Coachella one of the most-anticipated music festivals in the world.

• First look at the festival: Our team is in place and will take you on a look-around

• First look at the art: Installations are wowing already

• Getting to the festival: What you need to know about traffic, road closures, best routes.

• Ultimate Coachella survival guide: How to get the most out of your festival experience.

• Planning your experience: Set times are in.

Frank Ocean keeps fans waiting

Headliner Frank Ocean kept festivalgoers on their toes by starting his set 50 minutes late Sunday night. Or rather, 50 minutes after he was set to perform, he sent a group of people to walk in a circle onstage with dim lighting above them. Will the artist actually come out for his long-awaited return to the stage? That’s yet to be determined as of 11 p.m.

Rae Sremmurd disappoints

After it started about 15 minutes late (after the festival already announced earlier in the day), Rae Sremmurd’s set can be summed up in one word: underwhelming. Much of it appeared from my vantage point to consist of the hip hop duo dancing on stage to backing tracks and only occasionally lifting their microphones. The crowd was certainly hyped (it probably helped that this was one of the most cannabis-heavy sets I have attended at this year’s festival so far) but the set was also marred somewhat by what appeared to be the duo’s decision to not play full versions of some of their biggest songs. One bright spot was the guitar player, who absolutely rocked.

— Paul Albani-Burgio

Tyler, the Creator joins Kali Uchis

Colombian-American artist Kali Uchis brought out beloved rapper Tyler, the Creator to sing "See You Again" during her Sunday evening set on the Coachella Stage. Rapper Don Toliver and singer-songwriter Omar Apollo also came out as special guests during the packed set.

Good luck parking if you're the fashionably late type 

Shortly before 5:40 p.m. Sunday, Coachella parking staff started turning cars away from the Red Lot, telling them there were no spots remaining. If you're the type of festivalgoer who prefers to party first and get to the polo grounds later, consider this your warning ... there might not be parking spots available when you arrive.

No surprise Frank Ocean merchandise ahead of headlining set

With headliner Frank Ocean set to give his first public performance in six years Sunday night at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, fans hoping to grab some new merchandise from the elusive artist came away bummed out after gates opened early Sunday.

Once they cleared security, several diehard fans sprinted to the merchandise store — where a large BLACKPINK pop-up stood the day before — in hopes of finding a special surprise from Ocean, who launched a luxury fashion and jewelry brand a couple years ago.

The demand was high enough for Ocean that festival officials outside the store were repeatedly yelling “No Frank merch!” to avoid an unnecessary cluster of people flowing into the tent.

“No matter how long you guys stare, Frank Ocean stuff isn’t going to appear up there,” one security guard told the small crowd looking up at the festival merchandise.

— Tom Coulter, mid-valley reporter

Orchestra overheard playing on the Coachella Stage

Shortly after the gates opened Sunday, sweet and serenading sounds of an orchestra performing a soundcheck were coming from the Coachella Stage. Many of the early festivalgoers were intrigued, or saving a place for headliner Frank Ocean, and gathered to hear the symphonic bliss. Icelandic singer/songwriter Björk is also scheduled to perform tonight and has said she’s performing a career-spanning orchestral set.

— Brian Blueskye, arts and entertainment reporter

Secret bar spotted in Indio Central Market

Coachella is known to have a few surprises up its sleeves, and there's one hiding in plain sight inside the Indio Central Market.

Located to the left of the McConnell's Fine Ice Creams stand, you'll notice tropical décor with flamingos and bright flowers. Once you clear the entrance (you'll need that day's alcohol wristband), you'll stumble upon Sonny's by Attaboy.

Inside is a "Miami Vice"-themed bar playing all the best hits from the past. It's entirely decked out in neon pink hues and flamingos — not to mention, it has a few appetizing drinks available on its menu. There are two slushy options, the Penichillin or the Blue Hawaiian, which sound incredible on a hot day, or you could stick with the Spicy Flamingo or an Espresso Martini.

You could also find a few great selfie spots inside thanks to the neon signs and pull quotes used as décor.

— Ema Sasic, features reporter

Billie Eilish joins Labrinth on stage

While "Euphoria" fans were treated to his hits from the show, the most exciting and surprising moment of Labrinth’s set came when Billie Eilish joined him on stage to overwhelming screams and cheers. Only a year ago, she headlined Saturday night of the festival.

Eilish has become a Coachella mainstay. She was a headliner in 2022, only the fifth woman to accomplish that feat following Bjork, Lady Gaga, Beyonce and Ariana Grande, with BLACKPINK becoming the sixth female headliner earlier Saturday night.

This followed Eilish’s epic 2019 Coachella performance where the crowd surrounding the Outdoor Stage went as far back and as deep as anyone can remember. She’s been a megastar ever since. It was also that 2019 trip to the desert where she famously gushed when meeting Justin Bieber, a moment etched in many fans’ minds, when they recall Eilish in the desert.

Eilish is second festival headliner from last year to return this year as a guest along with The Weeknd who made an appearance during Metro Boomin's set.

— Paul Albani-Burgio, Shad Powers

Rock music has no age limit

There was a surprising coupling at the Sonora Tent on Saturday as back-to-back acts spanned multiple generations, and then rocked out together.

First it was The Linda Lindas, a quirky, fun rock group from Los Angeles consisting of teens and even a pre-teen in the case of 12-year-old drummer Mila de la Garza. They gamely soldiered through a ton of technical difficulties as their microphones kept failing them to the point where all they could do was laugh and try to remain positive, which they did.

They were followed immediately by the Breeders, a female-led band whose popularity was at its highest in the 1990s. They are led by twin sisters Kim and Kelley Deal, who are now both 61 years old and can still wail.

There was a great moment early in the Breeders’ set when they brought The Linda Lindas back out on stage to sing backup for them on their song “Saints.” It appeared to be pre-planned, not a reaction to the unfortunate technical difficulties during The Linda Lindas’ set, but either way it offered a nice bit of redemption for the young girl group, and it was a clear reminder that music knows no age.

-Shad Powers

Coachella en plein air: GoldenVoice tabs local valley painter to capture festival

When you are crossing the fields between stages at Coachella, you can expect to see just about anything. Someone dressed in a zebra costume? Sure. A failed "The Bachelor" contestant? Definitely, it comes with the territory.

But if there’s one thing you probably wouldn’t expect to see amid the chaos of beats and bodies, it’s a painter at work. But that’s just what I, and hundreds of others, saw Saturday as I spotted Aaron Hansen. The painter, who lives in the Coachella Valley, said he had been hired by the festival to paint a new painting each day of Weekend 1.

On Saturday, he was painting a wide view looking across the fields near the Outdoor Stage toward several of the art pieces, including the Holoflux and Spectra beyond it. He said he was excited to have been asked by the festival to do the paintings but joked that it is a job only a local can do because you have to be able to paint while contending with the heat, wind and dust.

— Paul Albani-Burgio

Monaleo joins FloMilli after confirming pregnancy

TikTok sensation FloMilli put an explanation point on her boisterous Sahara tent set when she was joined onstage by fellow rapper Monaleo to perform their remixed version of “We Not Humping.” Hours earlier, Monaleo had confirmed she is pregnant in a Twitter post that playfully referenced the song's title. In doing so, she joined Whyte Fang as at least the second artist to perform while pregnant at this year’s festival (with Calvin Harris watchers surely wondering if Rihanna could be the third).

But it was the four energetic dancers who joined FloMilli that stole much of the show, particularly with one extra frenzied display of twerking at the end of the show. The only bummer? FloMilli ended her set about 10 minutes before it was scheduled to finish.

— Paul Albani-Burgio

BLACKPINK trends hours before performance

Just before 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, less than five hours before K-Pop sensations BLACKPINK hit the main stage at Coachella, the hashtag #BLACKPINKatCoachella was trending on Twitter. Turns out it wasn’t by accident. An army of BLACKPINK die-hard fans simultaneously tweeted the simple post — “BLACKPINK COACHELLA HEADLINERS #BLACKPINKatCoachella.”

It quickly became a trending topic in the United States with around 50,000 posts including the hashtag.

Soon after, a similar group-post with the hashtag #LisachellaIsHere hit Twitter and accomplished a similar trending status. The trend is a reference to a BLACKPINK member who goes only by the first name Lisa. Suffice it to say the BLACKPINK "Blinks" are excited about their headlining performance.

— Shad Powers

Cuco makes appearance during Bratty set

Mexican guitarist/singer-songwriter Bratty introduced surprise guest and Latinx heartthrob Cuco in the Sonora tent on Saturday to screams from fans before they performed ballad "Fin Del Mundo."

— Erin Rode

More: Coachella 2022: Cuco delivers multifaceted set, stops show for distressed fan

The Bad Bunny party keeps rolling

Twelve hours after Bad Bunny wrapped up a historic headliner set, fans were still getting fresh tastes of his music around the Empire Polo grounds. DXSKO, a DJ born right here in Indio, kicked things off in the Gobi tent Saturday afternoon with a dance set heavy on Latin trap and Bad Bunny remixes.

“This is a f***ing dream, bro," the DJ said. “I’m a local DJ. It’s my first time here. It’s an honor to be here.”

— Jonathan Horwitz

Bad Bunny set references iconic Rancho Super Car Wash; Post Malone joins Benito onstage

A set with a Coachella Valley twist? Yes, por favor.

Bad Bunny's headlining Friday night set featured a slew of special guests, pyrotechnics and even a reference to perhaps the most famous car wash in the desert. A little over halfway through the performance, the screens behind Bad Bunny burst in to flames — or rather that's what the effect was — revealing a backdrop of a city on fire. Several figures were engulfed in the digital flames, but all the locals in the crowd couldn't help but notice one in particular: an image of Rancho Mirage's own Rancho Super Car Wash.

Shortly after the desert shoutout, former Coachella performer Post Malone joined the Puerto Rican star onstage for an acoustic set that ended in a very adorable hug.

— Niki Kottmann

Bad Bunny teases interactive lightshow

Festival staffers are handing out bracelets they say will light up when Friday’s headliner takes the stage around 11:30 pm. Perhaps the long delay between the end of the Gorillaz set and the start of Bad Bunny’s is to set up the Coachella Stage for what could be an intricate and interactive show.

— Jonathan Horwitz

Viral TikToker makes Coachella debut

Alt-pop rocker BENEE has risen to fame and popularity thanks in large part to a successful presence on TikTok, but after seeing her Coachella debut on Friday, it's clear she's much more than just a social media sensation.

BENEE has the chops to churn out high-end banging pop jams, but it's her stage presence that won me over. Her kooky facial expressions, her interactions with the crowd, the fact that she ran backstage to get a drink of water mid-song. She has an ease about her on stage that is endearing.

She had the Mojave rocking, particularly with her most recent hit, "Green Honda," which is an empowering breakup anthem. Long story short, she pulls up in her green Honda to tell you that she don't want ya. It's a funny graduation from her biggest hit, which she closed with "Supalonely" which included an appearance by her collaborator on the song, Gus Dapperton.

It's hard to believe the green Honda woman was ever super lonely, but BENEE can pull off both ranges of emotion. Again, don't call her a TikTok success. Just watch her TikToks and marvel at her abilities.

— Shad Powers

No sneak peek at Bad Bunny

Midway through their set, the Gorillaz played their recent smash hit, “Tormenta,” featuring Bad Bunny. The crowd cheered loudly when it started, hoping for a surprise appearance from the Puerto Rican star, but he was nowhere to be found.  A track of his voice was used instead. It would have been a nearly unprecedented move for Friday night’s headliner to come to the Coachella Stage two hours early for just one song with the Gorillaz, and, alas, he did not.

— Jonathan Horwitz

Blink-182 has some fans bailing early

Blink-182 packed the Sahara tonight, but after the first couple of songs, people were bailing fast. Hard to say if it was because they only cared to hear a few throwback hits before bouncing, or if they were offended by Tom DeLonge’s “f*** cancellation” comment. Maybe their jokes didn't catch up with the times? Or we’ve just all grown up since the ‘90s? Yikes …

Just when people thought their set was closing, bassist/vocalist Mark Hoppus said “We were supposed to end … but we’re going to play three more songs.”

— Niki Kottmann

MUNA and Domi & JD Beck kick the afternoon off with special guests

The first few special guests of Coachella 2023 did not dissapoint. First, singer-songwriter Mac DeMarco joined Domi & JD Beck in the Mojave tent — which caused the crowd to go truly wild — and then the jazz duo brought out Thundercat to round out the performance.

A little later in the afternoon, MUNA rocked the Mojave tent, but they made fans wait until the final song before the special guest everyone was anticipating — and the additional two who most weren't anticipating. The band brought out not only Phoebe Bridgers, but all members of her side project, boygenius, to the stage for the MUNA-Bridgers collaboration "Silk Chiffon." One fan who ran up to her friends outside the tent post-show said it best: "You guys missed it it was AMAZING!"

Around 6 p.m., during the transition from the afternoon performances to the evening ones, Los Angeles' own Becky G brought out California-based Regional Mexican group Marca MP while she performed on the Coachella Stage.— Niki Kottmann

Coachella 2023: A record-setting weekend for Spanish-language performers

Colombian-American singer-songwriter ¿Téo? kicked off a banner weekend for Spanish-language performers at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival Friday.

The L.A.-based artist seamlessly transitioned between crooning “Thru my Hair” in English then rapping “Rrrrico” in Spanish, while engaging with the packed audience at the Gobi Stage in both languages throughout his set early Friday afternoon.

Later Friday, Puerto Rican star Bad Bunny will become the first Latino headliner in the festival’s history.

“The representation matters,” said festivalgoer and Bad Bunny mega fan Manuel Dzib of Los Angeles. “To be a Spanish speaker and a headliner — it’s special.”

― Jonathan Horwitz

Best place for a selfie at Coachella: Check out the flower cube

One structure sure to rival the iconic Ferris wheel for Instagram photo backgrounds this year is the Adidas flower cube structure. The giant cube, covered with 32,000 live plants and flowers, is a spot to zen out and relax. Inside the cube are more floral structures including, according to one worker, a centuries old Bonsai tree. So that’s … something.

The entrance is a large wooden bunny-ears-shaped façade which is a nod to Friday headliner Bad Bunny. Being an Adidas joint, there are also some special Bad Bunny-inspired shoes for sale. They are a light brown with the classic three white Adidas stripes.

― Shad Powers

Desert Cahuilla Bird Singers kick off festival

Goldenvoice invited the Desert Cahuilla Bird Singers to Empire Polo Club again this year to kick off the first day of Weekend 1. The Bird Singers, familiar to Coachella Valley locals but not necessarily visitors, performed for a small crowd to honor their ancestors, who were the first to live on the land Coachella is held on every year. Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians Chairperson Thomas Tortes gave a few remarks about the symbolism behind the performance, and thanked everyone for attending.

― Niki Kottmann

Happy Coachella: 2023 festival to kick off today under clear skies

Desert Sun photographer Jay Calderon was on the scene Thursday to capture photos of the throngs of happy festivalgoers descending on the Coachella Valley ahead of the 2023 edition of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. While it was windy overnight, Gene Autry Trial in Palm Springs reopened this morning after a closure due to blowing sand. That's good news for people coming from Interstate 10 into Palm Springs. Desert Sun environment reporter Erin Rode talked to the National Weather Service, which is reporting that temperatures in the desert are going up over the course of the weekend, with highs in the low-90s. Friday has a forecasted high of around 81 degrees, Saturday has a high near 86 degrees, and Sunday will be the warmest day, with a high near 91 degrees. Evening low temperatures over the weekend will be in the upper 50s to low 60s.

Coachella parties: Cap’n Crunch-themed bash with a (surprisingly) good lineup

Desert Sun Features Editor Niki Kottmann has a great roundup of Coachella-adjacent parties, but one really took the ... cake? Cap’n’s Cove is a Cap’n Crunch-themed 60th birthday bash for everyone's favorite nautical breakfast brand. The event is essentially a branded, adults-only pool party complete with (a surprisingly good lineup of) live music, cocktails and “experiential art installations."

Where: Margaritaville Resort Palm Springs, 1600 N. Indian Canyon Drive, Palm Springs

When: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, April 15

Who's performing: Star of HBO Max's "The Sex Lives of College Girls" and the Broadway adaption of "Mean Girls" Reneé Rapp will host and perform, and the other half of Bruno Mars' Silk Sonic duo, Anderson .Paak (who has dubbed himself DJ Pee.Wee for this event), will open the festivities.

Cost: Free to attend, and all food is free, but drinks only available for purchase (unless you're one of the lucky first 500 in the door, who will receive one free drink ticket)

RSVP: capnscove.com

If this one doesn't float your boat, here are a bunch more:

More: Parties to attend in Palm Springs during 2023 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival

Coachella special guests: Selena Gomez, Ellie Goulding and maybe even Rihanna?

The Desert Sun's staff offers some predictions for who will be brought onto the various Coachella stages this year.

From Desert Sun features reporter Ema Sasic: Coachella and ice cream are a match made in heaven when it comes to beating the desert heat. Another combo that's perfect for the stage? The BLACKPINK ladies and their "Ice Cream" collaborator Selena Gomez. Read more of our predictions:

More: Coachella 2023 guests: We're expecting Selena Gomez, Ellie Goulding and maybe even Rihanna

Coachella hidden gems: Cannons, BENEE, Bakar, TV Girl, The Breeders

Desert Sun columnist Shad Powers did his homework so you don't have to. He offers his five "small-print-on-the-poster" acts you shouldn't sleep on, including '90s favorite The Breeders, a Cardigans sound-alike in the Cannons, and BENEE, Bakar and TV Girl. He explains why these are sure to be can't-miss sets, and gives a crib sheet on when to catch them:

More: Here are five Coachella 2023 artists you may not know but shouldn't miss

Behind Blink-182's long and winding road to surprise Weekend 1 reunion set

WhenBlink-182 performs at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on Friday, it will be the first time the famous trio — Tom DeLonge, Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker — has shared a stage in nine years.

Desert Sun arts and entertainment reporter Brian Blueskye details the long and winding road Blink-182 has taken to Indio for this year's festival, and the band's connection to one of Coachella's founders:

More: Coachella 2023: Blink-182's performance will be the band's first in 9 years

Artist spotlight: DannyLux, a local ready for the big time

The Desert Sun's Eliana Perez talked to DannyLux, a rising music star from Desert Hot Springs who will be at Coachella for the first time (attending and playing!) this weekend ... he's set to perform Friday at 3:40 p.m. on the Sonora stage.

“Being a little kid, seeing a lot of people in town because of Coachella, I honestly never thought that one day, I was going to be one of the people playing at Coachella,” he told The Desert Sun. Read more:

More: Coachella 2023: DannyLux from Desert Hot Springs is ready for his spotlight

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Coachella liveblog: Frank Ocean leaves fans waiting