Coachella Weekend #1 - Raveena, Bishop Briggs, Mika, Arcade Fire, Phoebe Bridgers, Danny Elfman, Billie Eilish, more

Arcade Fire performing at Coachella 2022.
Photo credit: Rich Fury/Getty Images for Coachella

With more than 160 artists performing throughout the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, there were plenty of stellar performances to discover across Weekend #1 at the event held April 15-17. Here are some of the highlights shared via the YouTube's livestream across the first three days of the event presented by Goldenvoice. Weekend #2 will play out April 22-24 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio.  With the exception of Arcade Fire, all the noted artists are scheduled to return to Indio for Weekend #2.

Friday, April 15

Raveena — The first artist to grab my attention was songstress Raveena, a rising singer with a joyful spirit. Highlights of her set included the dreamy "Mystery" and a song she sang in Hindi where she showed off some cool guitar chops. Much of her focus was on songs from her new album Asha's Awakening —  she noted the new album is an exploration of her Indian heritage; the sounds blend the stylings of her Indian roots with Western pop & R&B . Highlights were the Smooth dance track "Kismet" as well as the tender ballad "Love Overgrown." She also told the crowd that she is one of the first Indian women to ever perform at Coachella.

Bishop Briggs — With a sound and hard-edged approach that somehow blends the stylings of Florence + the Machine, Bat for Lashes and Billie Eilish, Bishop Briggs' energetic performance was even more impressive given that she is pregnant with her first child, and is in the third trimester of that pregnancy. Additionally, her stirring performance came in the wake of the death of her sister Kate McLaughlin who died in 2021 at the age of 30 after a battle with ovarian cancer. Briggs performed several songs for her sister including the poignant "High Water" (she broke down during the performance of the track) and "Art of Survival." Her performance on Weekend #2 is not to be missed.

Win Butler leading Arcade Fire at Coachella 2022. 
Photo credit: Rich Fury/Getty Images for Coachella

Arcade Fire — The Canadian troupe's set — not announced until the eve of their April 15 appearance — fully lived up to the expectations of the untold thousands who filled the Mojave Tent for the hour-long set. Singer-guitarist/keyboardist Win Butler and company fully delivered, showcasing both timeless classics (notably "Ready To Start" and "Wake Up") and songs from the band's forthcoming album We (due May 6, 2022). Indeed, "The Lightning I," "The Lightning II," "Age of Anxiety II (Rabbit Hole)" and "Unconditional I (Lookout Kid)" made a compelling case that WE has to be among the most highly anticipated albums of 2022. Arcade Fire also acknowledged the tragic world events playing out in Eastern Europe, dedicating a performance of "The Suburbs" to the beleaguered people of the Ukraine. "Everyone in a punk rock band in the Ukraine right now," Butler said. "I'm thinking about everybody who is dealing with the war right now."

From left, Phoebe Bridgers and Arlo Parks at
Coachella on Friday, April 15, 2022. 
Photo credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Coachella

Phoebe Bridgers - Top-tier singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers made her Coachella debut with a memorable set of a dozen songs presented on Friday night. Coachella is a stop on her 2022 tour, and Bridgers' appearance on a windy night in Indio was magical to be sure. In addition to featuring song from her 2020 disc Punisher, the Los Angeles songstress performed her new song "Sidelines" live for the first time. She also brought out Arlo Parks for duets of "Graceland Too" and the impressive "I Know the End." 

Saturday, April 16

Beach Bunny - an early Saturday standout, the Lili Trifilio-led outfit Beach Bunny offered up a winning mix of melodic punk and power pop on the Outdoor Theatre Stage on Saturday afternoon. The group's first-ever appearance at Coachellafest was highlighted by the driving "Cuffing Season," wistful rocker "Six Weeks" and Weezer-mining "Weeds." The group closed with the retro delight "Painkiller."

Japanese Breakfast  - Led by Korean-American artist Michelle Zauner, Japanese Breakfast turned in one of Saturday's most thrilling performances. Riveting from the start, Zauner and her outstanding five-member band's set included the breezy "Be Sweet," tender Americana-tinged "Kokomo, IN," Neo-psychedelic "Road Head," driving indie rocker "Everybody Wants To Love You" (bolstered by Zauner's flashy lead guitar work) and the expansive "Your Body Is A Blade." She closed her set with the swirling and mighty "Diving Woman," with a cacophony of burgeoning sonics leading to a volcanic finale.

Danny Elfman performing at Coachella with a few friends.
Photo credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Coachella

Danny Elfman - At 68, Danny Elfman's Saturday night performance also marked his Coachella debut. His so-called "Past, Present and Future! From Boingo to Batman and Beyond!" premiere was no empty promise. Over the course of 60 exhilarating minutes the legendary leader of Oingo Boingo and acclaimed film composer led a hard-edged rock outfit and large orchestra through a dizzying mix of material at his first proper full-length show "as myself" in 27 years. Fans of Elfman's truly groundbreaking new wave act Oingo Boingo got amped up versions of "Nothing to Fear (But Fear Itself)," "Insects," "Only a Lad," the Halloween-minded "Dead Man's Party" and the rousing closer "Who Do You Want to Be." 

Danny Elfman performing at Coachella on April 16, 2022.
Photo credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Coachella

Lovers of Elfman's extensive and signature film work were equally in luck; a section of his orchestral score from 2002's "Spider-Man," along with instrumental sections of 1990's "Edward Scissorhands," 2010's "Alice's Theme" (from "Alice in Wonderland") and 1989's "Batman" showcased the terrific orchestra and choir. Chief among the audience favorites was a medley from the animated classic "The Nightmare Before Christmas" ("Jack's Lament/This is Halloween/What's This?") and even the theme from the long-running animated series "The Simpsons."

He also performed enthralling selections from his 2021 album Big Mess, including "Sorry," "True" and "Kick Me."

“Thank you for bringing me out of whatever it’s called … I forget,” Elfman said humbly at the end of the fast-moving set. “Thank you … I like it here.”

From left, Billie Eilish and Damon Albarn at Coachella on Saturday, April 16, 2022. 
Photo credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Coachella

Billie Eilish - Closing out Saturday was Billie Eilish, who delivered a powerful and incredible set on the Coachella Stage. As if her own confident and crowd-pleasing performance wasn't strong enough thanks to her own musical powers, she brought out Damon Albarn (of Blur, Gorillaz and the Good, the Bad and the Queen fame) to join her for two undeniable selections. After joining forces with Eilish on her affecting ballad "Getting Older" (off Eilish's sophomore album Happier Than Ever) there was an explosive take on Gorillaz's classic "Feel Good Inc." that also featured De La Soul's Posdnuos.

Billie Eilish at Coachella on Saturday, April 16, 2022. 
Photo credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Coachella

“[Damon] changed my life in a lot of ways, and changed my view of what music and art and creation could be,” Eilish told the crowd as she introduced Albarn. “My first favorite band ever was the Good, the Bad and the Queen when I was six years-old, and Blur changed the world, and Gorillaz changed the world, and this man is literally a genius, and that’s that.”

Eilish first (and previously) performed at Coachella in 2019. Fast forward to 2022 and the 20-year-old star became the youngest headliner ever in Coachella's storied history.

Check out Eilish's April 16, 2022 Coachella set list below...

1. bury a friend
2. I Didn’t Change My Number
3. NDA
4. Therefore I Am
5. my strange addiction
6. idontwannabeyouanymore
7. lovely
8. you should see me in a crown
9. Billie Bossa Nova
10. GOLDWING
11. Halley’s Comet
12. Oxytocin
13. ilomilo
14. i love you
15. Your Power
16. OverHeated
17. bellyache
18. ocean eyes
19. Getting Older
20. Feel Good Inc.
21. when the party’s over
22. all the good girls go to hell
23. everything i wanted
24. bad guy
25. Happier Than Ever

Other notable performances I caught were Mika, Grupo Firme, Maggie Rogers, FINNEAS and Run the Jewels.

Tune in beginning this afternoon! Coachella Livestream at 4 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. ET

Here are details on the upcoming Coachella Livestream, which kicks off in a couple of hours! Great news that Arcade Fire, Danny Elfman, The HU, Bishop Briggs and Billie Eilish are among the many artists whose sets are scheduled to be shown...Robert Kinsler

Danny Elfman, seen here in October 2015, is among
the notable artists whose sets will be livestreamed.
Photo: Kelly A. Swift

YOUTUBE TO BRING FANS FRONT ROW WITH EXCLUSIVE COACHELLA LIVESTREAM FEATURING HARRY STYLES, BILLIE EILISH, SWEDISH HOUSE MAFIA/THE WEEKND, MEGAN THEE STALLION, DOJA CAT AND MORE

 

Tune In For The Biggest Weekend 1 Performances From April 15 - 17 

On Coachella’s Official YouTube Channel

 

The All Access Livestream Will Also Include Intimate Artist Interviews, Exclusive Merch Drops, Youtube Premium Pre-Parties, Behind-The-Scenes On Youtube Shorts and Live Chat

WHAT: 

For the tenth year, YouTube is returning to the desert to give music fans around the world front row access to one of the world’s most coveted music festivals, Coachella, with its exclusive two-weekend livestream. Starting today, April 15 at 4 PM PT / 7 PM ET viewers can tune in to the livestream to catch the hottest performances from Coachella’s stages including Harry Styles, Arcade Fire, Phoebe Bridgers, Big Sean, Baby Keem, Epik High and so many more.

 

Watch YouTube’s Coachella 2022 live stream starting April 15 at 4 PM PT / 7 PM ET PM through Monday evening, April 18, including replays on Coachella’s Official YouTube Channel. 

 

Music fans everywhere can tune in to YouTube’s Coachella live stream from desktop, mobile, living room or the YouTube Music app for the full Weekend 1 livestream hosted by Joe Kay, Tefi Pessoa, Therapy Gecko and Veronica De La Cruz. The livestream set times can be found in the description of each live channel now at www.youtube.com/Coachella and/or by clicking the links below:

• Coachella 2022 LIVE Channel 1 US
• Coachella 2022 LIVE Channel 2 US
• Coachella 2022 LIVE Channel 3 US

 

In addition to what will undoubtedly be epic live performances, this year’s YouTube livestream gives fans an all access Coachella experience with additional content including:

 

• #YouTubeCoachellaSweepstakes: Earlier this week, several creators like Katie Yoo,Blair Walnuts and ZoeUnlimited helped to kick off the YouTube Coachella Sweepstakes, giving fans across the U.S. a chance to win the ultimate prize: a pair of Lifetime Coachella passes in the form of an NFT. Details are here and start creating your own Shorts now!* 

 

• YouTube Shorts Creators: YouTube Shorts will follow the adventures of Benoftheweek,Kaiti Yoo, Kirsten Titus, Larray, Lauren Giraldo and Quenlin Blackwell who will be documenting their festival experience on their respective YouTube channels live from the YouTube Shorts Compound at Coachella. 

 

• Exclusive Merchandise Through YouTube Shopping: For the first time, YouTube Shopping will offer virtual viewers a chance to purchase exclusive merchandise directly on the watchpage, without ever leaving the livestream. Fans will get access to custom merch drops from Billie Eilish, BROCKHAMPTON and Flume all day Saturday in addition to Coachella-specific merch all weekend long. 

 

• A Behind-the-Scenes Celebration of Coachella Fashion: YouTube’s Head of Fashion and Beauty, Derek Blasberg, will be chatting with artists, creators and more about Coachella fashion and beauty trends live from the YouTube Artist Lounge. Follow alonghere.

 

• Exclusive YouTube Premium Pre-Parties: YouTube Premium members will have exclusive access to Premium pre-parties from Cordae at 11:10 PM ET on Friday, 88risingat 9:30 PM ET on Saturday and Banda MS at 7:45 PM ET on Sunday. Each pre-party will automatically redirect from the artists’ YouTube channel to their Coachella set. Set your reminders now!

 

• Livestream Live Chat: This year, Live Chat will be part of the livestream viewing experience on desktop and the YouTube App. This allows Coachella to provide real time updates to fans and an opportunity for virtual festival-goers to connect with one another all weekend long. 

 

More information on YouTube’s livestream of Coachella 2022 can be found on the YouTube Blog.Fans can also catch all the highlights by following @YouTube & @YouTubeMusic on Instagramand Twitter or search for the hashtag #LetsCoachella. 

Coachella 2022: Robert Kinsler & George A. Paul preview this year's event

A view of Coachella in April 2019.
Photo credit: Robert Kinsler

Music writers Robert Kinsler and George A. Paul each highlight some of their must-see artists coming to the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, which returns after a two-year hiatus due to the global pandemic. Taking place over consecutive weekends at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, Coachellafest will be held April 15-17 and again April 22-24, 2022. This year's headliners are Harry Styles, Billie Eilish, and the Weeknd with Swedish House Mafia.

Fridays, April 15 and 22

Harry Styles 
Photo credit: Hanna Moon, courtesy of
Columbia Records

Harry Styles – The former One Direction singer’s engaging self-titled solo bow and follow up Fine Line both entered at No. 1 here and were certified platinum-plus. Earlier this month, the charismatic Brit’s propulsive new single “As it Was” (from “Harry’s House,” due in May) broke single-day streaming records on Spotify and will have its live performance debut at Coachella. GP

Arcade Fire performing at the Greek Theatre
in Los Angeles on Sept. 20, 2018.
Photo credit: Robert Kinsler

Arcade Fire — A last minute addition to this year's festival, Coachella favorites Arcade Fire will perform in the relative intimate confines of the Mojave Tent on Friday at 6:45 p.m. If you want to be able to see the Canadian troupe in action, be sure to arrive early! Arcade Fire is one of the most original and successful alternative rock artists to emerge since the turn of the century. This writer has caught singer-guitarist Win Butler and company several times at Coachella in the past, as well as in a headlining turn at the Greek Theatre in 2018, and they are not to be missed. RK 

Phoebe Bridgers — Since bursting on the music scene in September 2017 with her critically-acclaimed album Stranger in the Alps, singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers' ascent has included four Grammy Awards nominations (including for "Best New Artist") and collaborations with a slew of musical ensembles including The National, Fiona Apple, boygenius and Better Oblivion Community Center (the latter with Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes fame), as well as via the enticing 2021 single "Silk Chiffon" performed with Muna. RK

Mika – No stranger to Coachella, Mika comes across like a pop-leaning Freddie Mercury onstage. He burst onto the international music scene bigtime 15 years ago with Life in Cartoon Motion. The album was a phenomenon, especially at home in Britain, where it topped the charts, spawned five top 20 singles, raked in awards, and went multi-platinum. Mika has gone onto collaborate with Ariana Grande, Pharrell Williams, RedOne, Kylie Minogue and put out a stately cover of Roxette’s “It Must Have Been Love” last year. GP

Bishop Briggs
Photo courtesy of the
artist

Bishop Briggs — With the release of her debut album Church Of Scars, Scottish-American songstress Bishop Briggs was one of 2018's most notable breakout music artists. She arrives at Coachella in the wake that disc (which featured the memorable singles "White Flag," "River" and "Wild Horses"), as well as her strong 2019 sophomore effort Champion. Among her winning recent tracks Coachella-goers can expect to hear is the yearning "High Water" (which draws favorable comparisons with Florence + the Machine), the inspired "Higher" and dance-minded "Jekyll & Hide." RK

The HU 
Photo: Enkhbat Nyamkhishig

The HU — Hard rocking Mongolian quartet The HU launches their so-called "Black Thunder" North American Tour with their set in Indio on April 15.  The HU will likely debut advance tracks from the band's forthcoming sophomore album that is due later this year from Better Noise Music. That album was reportedly recorded in their native Mongolia over the past few months. The HU's 2019 debut disc The Gereg debuted at #1 on the World Album and Top New Artist Charts.The HU's blend of folk rock and heavy metal is adorned with traditional Mongolian instrumentation including the Morin khuur, the Tovshuur and even Mongolian throat singing! RK

Saturdays, April 16 and 23

Billie Eilish / Photo: Matty Vogel

Billie Eilish — Anticipation was high when Billie Eilish made her debut at Coachella in April 2019, and the young artist fully delivered. Her triumphant return three years later finds her in the headlining spot at the fest performing on Saturday night. Anyone who caught her appearances at the Academy Awards telecast in March (where she performed the title track from the James Bond film "No Time To Die") and more recently at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards (where she performed "Happier Than Ever," the title track from her 2021 album) knows the power of the 20-year-old star. Indeed, Eilish is the youngest artist in Grammy history and second overall to win top honors in four general field categories: "Best New Artist," "Record of the Year," "Song of the Year," and "Album of the Year" — all in the same year. RK

Danny Elfman at the Hollywood Bowl
on Oct. 31, 2015. Photo: Kelly A. Swift

Danny Elfman — Groundbreaking artist Danny Elfman has seemingly done it all, and his upcoming showcase at Coachella should prove it. The leader of the pioneering new wave-meets-rock outfit Oingo Boingo formed in 1979, he has subsequently gone on to even greater fame scoring music for more than 100 films beginning with 1986's "Pee-wee's Big Adventure."  His work writing and singing on the soundtrack for the 1993 animated film "The Nightmare Before Christmas" is truly beloved, and his diverse field of stellar work includes his scores for "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," "Good Will Hunting," "Edward Scissorhands" and "Big Fish" as well as the popular themes on the television shows "Desperate Housewives" and "The Simpsons." It is anticipated that Elfman will perform a wide range of original material at Coachella including his outstanding film music, and songs from his time with Oingo Boingo as well as off his celebrated 2021 solo album Big Mess. RK

Wallows – Dylan Minnette and Braeden Lemasters are singers and multi-instrumentalists who played in various bands with drummer Cole Preston between acting gigs as teenagers. They started Wallows in 2017. The Los Angeles alt-pop trio notched a top 5 alt-radio and TikTok hit with 2019’s enchanting “Are You Bored Yet?” featuring Clairo and just released the solid sophomore full-length, Tell Me That It’s Over. GP

Japanese Breakfast / Photography by Peter Ash Lee

Japanese Breakfast – Jubilee, the alluring Grammy-nominated third effort by this dream pop band, was among 2021’s most critically-acclaimed albums. Singer/author Michelle Zauner, a South Korea native, also wrote a memoir last year that has been optioned for a feature film. She contributed a piano driven “No One Sees Me Like You Do” to Ocean Child, the current Yoko Ono tribute album. GP

Sundays, April 17 and 24

Orville Peck – Doing double duty at Coachella and Stagecoach 2022, this Canada-based LGBTQ Americana singer keeps his identity secret through a fringed mask. Peck has a penchant for crooning in Chris Isaak or Roy Orbison style and has even duetted with Shania Twain. New album Bronco finds the eclectic artist adeptly expanding his sonic palette even further. GP

Skegss / Photo: David Herington

Skegss — Australian trio Skegss blends surf, indie and garage rock powerfully, with the Byron Bay, New South Wales-spawned outfit's inviting sound positioned in the sonic universe where Dinosaur Jr., Weezer and early R.E.M. meet. Their performances at Coachella will mark their first appearances in the U.S. since the start of the pandemic. Among Skegss great cuts are the anthemic "Stranger Days," the punkish and melodically intoxicating "Bunny Man," crunchy gem "Valhalla" and sweeping rocker "Fantasising." The band's line-up consists of Toby Cregan (bass, vocals, guitar), Jonny Lani (drums) and Ben Reed (vocals, guitar, bass). RK

Information: Coachella.com.

Note: This article was originally published in the Desert Star Weekly on Wednesday, April 13, 2022.