5 epic moments in the history of Coachella
Coachella probably is not only the most famous music festivals in the world but also the most profitable and one of the festivals with more impact on the media and its 19 editions have left many moments to remember. From his many band reunions, to unforgettable concerts (The Cure breaking the curfew, Blur first US gig in 10 years, Arcade beach balls, Leonard Cohen performing Hallelujah, etc...) without ignoring odd moments (in 2011 the crowd chanted "USA, USA" after Joe McMarcus from Rascal Flatts announced the death of Osama Bin Laden).
However, among all those moments there are five that stand out from the rest:
5. Prince, 2008
2008 edition took everyone by surprise when Coachella announced Prince only three weeks before the festival kicked off. On Saturday, when Prince appeared on the main stage he screamed to the crowd: "You are in the coolest place on Earth right now." From that moment on, together with a great band he played all his hits one after the other, including covers from Radiohead, The Beatles, Sarah McLachlan and The B-52s.
4. Snoop Dogg, 2012
Three years before Coachella debuted in 1999, at the early age of 25 Tupac Shakur was shot to death in the city of Vegas. Nevertheless That was not an excuse for him not to be the highlight of 2012 edition of Coachella, when a computer-generated Tupac appeared to a crowd of 80.000 to perform two songs during Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg’s set. It was almost the end of the show, when a shirtless figure emerged, with a “thug life” tattoo on his stomach, pinky rings on his hands, pants sagging and Timberlands on his feet. The amazed people at the Polo field that night said it looked as if he would have been there for real.
3. Rage Against the Machine, 2007
One thing that Coachella is famous for is its ability to gather bands that have been separated for years. In this way, the line up of 2007 announced the return to the stages of Rage Against the Machine after 7 years of absence. In front of the biggest audience in the history of the festival (it is said that there were 100,000 people that night in the Polo field), Zack de la Rocha, Tom Morello and the rest of the band deployed all their hard-rock manners and their irreverent show in a venue that if initially did not seem to be the most appropriate ended up giving back an overwhelming response from a crowd of crazed fans.
2. Beyonce, 2018
After being announced as 2017 headliner and afterwards having to be postponed (Lady Gaga acted in her place) due to her pregnancy, the 2018 edition became the first of all Coachella editions to have a black woman headlining. Her performance, referred to as Beychella, included step dancers and a New-Orleans style brass marching band seemed to be the intermission of the super bowl rather than a performance you can see at a music festival. At Coachella Beyonce hit the history while she celebrated black pride by samplening Nina Simone, having multiple guests (Solange, Jay Z, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams) or playing an excerpt of a Malcom X speech.
1. Daft Punk, 2006
In an edition with Tool and Depeche Mode as headliners, the night of Saturday, April 29 (at that time the festival was still two days long and only during a single weekend) has gone down in history for the performance of Daft Punk. Yes, that one with the famous pyramid. Upon payment of $ 300,000 to build a scenario they kept in strict secrecy until the very last moment, the French duo offered a show that even today the 40,000 people were compressed in the Sahara tent (according to the words of his Manager) continue to remember as the best show (music and lights) ever experienced. A show, that would serve as clear reference for the use of LED technology in future EDM shows.
