The following article is an opinion piece, and those opinions expressed are those of the authors not of the Peters Township School District.
Each year, the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California is transformed into a vibrant center of music and fashion. As one of the largest and most well known music festivals in the world, Coachella showcases a broad range of diverse artists from a variety of genres. Moreover, it’s also a pop culture phenomenon, highlighting some of the biggest names in music. Full of fun-filled hits by stellar artists, these performances were incredible, and while everyone was phenomenal, ten stuck out above the rest.
- Travis Scott headlined both Saturdays at the desert music festival, and with amazing visuals and music. The musician brought out two HBCU marching bands during his first performance, and the dazzling display left audiences in awe. With a mix of covers, originals, and brand new songs, Travis Scott’s show was one to remember.
- Post Malone performed on the last day of the Coachella festival, and he made sure the event ended on a memorable note. The singer-rapper brought out other artists Ed Sheeran and Jelly Roll to each perform a song with him during his headlining set. Following the festival, Post Malone will be setting out on his own tour, with Jelly Roll as his opening act.
- DJO, the up and coming music project of acclaimed actor Joe Keery, played a fantastic set that did not disappoint. The musician struck it big last year when his song “End of Beginning” went viral and began topping the charts. DJO is also currently on tour following the release of its latest album, The Crux. The project’s unique music style coupled with its entertaining performance has definitely earned it a spot in our top ten.
- Singer-songwriter Beabadoobee took to the main stage at Coachella this year. Her second ever performance at Coachella was even live streamed on Youtube for fans who couldn’t attend the festival. Her stellar performance of her hits such as “Take a Bite” and “Real Man” captured many’s attention, and she was certainly one to remember at Coachella.
- Megan Thee Stallion’s performance was another hit. She rocked a custom denim outfit at the festival and brought out other performers such as Queen Latifah, Ciara, and Victoria Monét. She debuted and performed multiple of her new singles at the festival, and was certainly a performance to remember. All in all, her fans were ecstatic with her amazing showcase.
- Although her tour celebrating the release of her third album ended roughly a month ago, Clairo returned to the stage at the festival once again. Performing her classic hits such as “4EVER” and “Juna”, her set was one to remember. Another noteworthy part of Clairo’s performance was her inviting Bernie Sanders to come on stage and discuss the importance of youth activism.
- Grammy award winner for Best New Artist, Benson Boone, was another notable performance. Singing many of his hits, including “Beautiful Things”, which was one of the world’s most popular songs in 2024, the crowd loved him. Boone even paid tribute to Queen, singing “Bohemian Rhapsody” and bringing out Brian May, the band’s leading guitarist and founding member. Boone’s energetic performance and fabulous Queen tribute secured him our number four spot.
- Long standing American rock band Green Day killed with their electric set as Coachella’s day two headliner. The band played a number of their classic hits such as “American Idiot,” and the band’s performance was overall very well received by critics and crowds alike. However, internet drama broke out when Charli xcx was seen wearing a sash with the words ‘Miss Should Be Headliner.’ I guess the band and the pop star will just have to work it out on the remix.
- Lady Gaga performed a plethora of her most famous songs, including “Judas”, “Bloody Mary”, “Abracadabra”, “Paparazzi”, and many more, some of which haven’t been performed by her since 2018. The crowd was blown away by her set that featured many of her original dancers as well as new choreography. Fans were caught off guard by the star’s surprise encore, leaving many to rush back to the stage.
1. Charlie xcx stole the spotlight this year, and she also stole our number one spot. Singing hits off of her BRAT album, which went viral this past summer, she secured her spot as Caochella’s most memorable performance. The artist even brought other performers such as Billie Elish, Lorde, and Troye Sivan on stage, further cementing her set’s top spot.
