Kanye West has reportedly pulled out of his headlining Coachella set.
This story is being updated.
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Thundercat And Flying Lotus Are Performing A Set Together At Coachella’s Heineken House
Coachella offers an abundance of entertainment options during its annual two-weekend event. The headliners are usually the primary focus, but this year, there’s going to be at least one compelling reason to spend some time away from the main stages: Thundercat and Flying Lotus are coming together for a joint performance set.
During Coachella’s first weekend (on April 16, specifically), the pair will take to the Heineken House venue on the Coachella festival grounds for the performance. Flying Lotus and Thundercat previously toured together in 2014 and they regularly collaborate on each other’s songs; For example, Thundercat has featured on every Flying Lotus album since 2010’s Cosmogramma.
Press materials describe the Heineken House experience, “Festival-goers are invited to focus on the present and notice the details unfolding around them with intentional reminders that ‘You Are Here.’ Music lovers will leave their texts on read in this immersive outdoor experience filled with eclectic beats and ice cold beverages April 15-17 and 22-24, 2022. The Heineken House is known for creating a dynamic music experience and will once again deliver an epic lineup of artists and DJs.
Christine Karimi, Senior Manager of Partnerships and Consumer Experience at Heineken USA, says, “This year’s festival is all about bringing people together for an experience unlike anything else. If we’ve learned anything over the past two years, it’s that spending time together is a gift we need to celebrate. Showing the importance of these unique and unforgettable moments through a creative lens was key to bringing festival-goers the most incredible Heineken House experience yet.”
Check out the full lineup for both weekends of Heineken House below.
Friday, April 15: Vegyn with additional performances from Acemo, Black Noise, American Dance Ghosts, Skinny Macho and others
Saturday, April 16: Flying Lotus and Thundercat performance set with additional performances from OG Ron C, Orion Sun, 454, and others
Sunday, April 17: Ms Nina with additional performances from Deej, Mia Carruci, Silent Addy, Bitter Babe, and others
Friday, April 22: Jacques Greene with additional performances from Acemo, Black Noise, Bae Bae, Alko, and others
Saturday, April 23: Shlohmo DJ set with additional performances from OG Ron C, Orion Sun, DJ Black Power, and others
Sunday, April 24: DBN Gogo with additional performances from Major League DJz, Pieri, Mawingo, TRYi, and others
Petition Calling for Kanye’s Removal From Coachella Passes 30,000 Signatures
A Petition To Have Kanye West Pulled From Coachella Has Almost 30,000 Signatures
Kanye West has been making headlines, and not for good reasons. His feud with Kim Kardashian’s new boyfriend Pete Davidson has led to only more drama, with celebrities like Jake Paul, Jimmy Kimmel, and Trevor Noah intervening either to try to help or just to make jokes. West, at one point, was suspended on Instagram for 24 hours because of the situation, and then eventually his performance at the Grammys was pulled. Now, his performance at California festival Coachella next month might have the same fate.
The rapper is a headliner for the third day, but a recent petition was made on Change.org titled “Remove Kanye From Coachella.” Its description reads: “We have watched Kanye harass, manipulate, and hurt Kim, Pete, and others for over a year now. No one seems to want to stand up to him, and the ones that do, he puts under fire as well. Most recently, he has been threatening actual bodily harm on others. This is ridiculous that he is allowed to freely do this. Coachella (along with other brand names that are still working with him) should be ashamed of themselves and should not be giving him any more of a platform. Please sign & share!” It currently has almost 30,000 signatures. The festival takes place next month, from April 15 to 24.
Coachella Announces Artist Residency for Cactus Plant Flea Market
Cactus Plant Flea Market for Coachella 2022.
Set for a first-of-its-kind artist residency at Coachella 2022. More from this collaboration will debut ahead of the show, and on-site in the desert 🌵
📍Cactus Plant Flea Market for Coachella billboards; Los Angeles, CA pic.twitter.com/sN36bwgLIi
— Coachella (@coachella) March 11, 2022
Coachella Drops All COVID-Related Restrictions, Will Not Require Negative Tests or Masks
Coachella Will No Longer Require Vaccination Cards Or Masks For 2022
In a move that will undoubtedly prove to be controversial, Goldenvoice has announced that it’s dropping COVID-19 safety protocols from its upcoming Coachella Music Festival, and will not require proof of vaccination, a negative COVID test, or masks. The promoter previously rolled back its vaccination policy but has now done away with all other precautions, as well.
Updating the festival’s health and safety rules page, organizers wrote, “In accordance with local guidelines, there will be no vaccination, testing or masking requirements at Coachella 2022. “However, the event shall be presented in accordance with applicable public health conditions as of the date of the event and which may change at any time as determined by federal, state or local government agencies or instrumentalities, artists or the promoter.”
With California loosening COVID safety rules, Coachella would be exempted from the few remaining guidelines regarding vaccinations and masks, which will only be enforced for indoor events of 1,000 or more attendees. Goldenvoice’s updated rules still include the disclaimer warning that COVID-19 “is an extremely contagious disease that can lead to severe illness and death.”
This year’s Coachella festival is set to be headlined by Billie Eilish, Harry Styles, and Kanye West, although Kanye threatened to drop out if Eilish didn’t issue an apology to Travis Scott — something she’s shown seemingly little interest in doing. Coachella takes place April 15-17 and 22-24 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California. You can find more information here.
One Astroworld Victim’s Family Didn’t Appreciate Kanye’s Billie Eilish Apology Demand
At least one Astroworld Festival victim’s family didn’t appreciate their loved one being used as a prop by Kanye West when the volatile star demanded an apology from Billie Eilish on behalf of Travis Scott, calling Ye’s comments “hurtful” and “ridiculous,” according to Rolling Stone.
Bernon Blount, whose nine-year-old grandson Ezra Blount was the youngest victim of the crowd crush at Astroworld that left nine others dead and hundreds injured, said, “To hear Kanye’s words, that’s hurtful to us. What an idiotic thing to say.” Ezra’s grandmother Tericia Blount also had words for Kanye, saying, “I think it’s just crazy, and I hate to use that word, but I think it’s ridiculous. She’s making sure that she is caring for the patrons at her concert, and I just think that’s crazy of Kanye to even let that demand come out of his mouth.”
Eilish issued the statement for which Kanye demanded an apology at one of her recent shows, stopping performing until a distressed fan received medical attention. Explaining to impatient concert attendees why she wasn’t performing, she said, “We’re taking care of our people. I’m waiting for people to be OK until I keep going.” Reporting on the incident, some outlets interpreted her comment as a dig at Travis Scott, who reportedly continued performing during the crowd crush, at least 30 minutes after authorities declared a mass casualty event.
Kanye, taking his cue from one of those outlets — a gossip Instagram page that simply framed Billie’s statement as a straight-up diss — posted his all-caps apology demand on Instagram, threatening to cancel his upcoming Coachella headlining set otherwise. In response, Eilish commented, “Literally never said a thing about Travis. Was just helping a fan.”
The Blounts appear to be taking Eilish’s side in the disagreement, with Bernon telling Rolling Stone, “That’s crazy that he wants someone to apologize for putting the welfare of someone else before their profits. That’s someone who needed their asthma pump. They could have lost their life, right then. This world is twisted, and we have to stop doing this.” Terecia echoed this sentiment, saying, “I totally commend Billie Eilish for having that decency about her. I think what she did was wonderful, and I would love to tell her myself how brilliant and awesome she is for doing so.”
Billie Eilish Responds To Kanye West’s Demand For Her To Apologize To Travis Scott
Well, that didn’t take long. Less than two hours after Kanye West posted on Instagram demanding that Billie Eilish apologize to his would-be Coachella special guest Travis Scott for her comments during a recent show, Eilish responded in the comments to notify West that she not only has no intentions of doing so but she also doesn’t have anything to apologize for.
Kanye, who, like many, interpreted Eilish’s recent comments as a dig at Travis Scott posted the all-caps demand after apparently coming across an Instagram gossip account’s report of the facts. “COME ON BILLIE WE LOVE YOU PLEASE APOLOGIZE TO TRAV AND TO THE FAMILIES OF THE PEOPLE WHO LOST THEIR LIVES NO ONE INTENDED THIS TO HAPPEN TRAV DIDN’T HAVE ANY IDEA OF WHAT WAS HAPPENING WHEN HE WAS ON STAGE AND WAS VERY HURT BY WHAT HAPPENED,” he wrote, before adding the threat, “NOW I NEED BILLIE TO APOLOGIZE BEFORE I PERFORM [at Coachella, where Billie is also set to headline].” This is the rockstar equivalent of getting skunked at pickup so you take your ball and go home, but Billie handled the situation as graciously as could be.
“Literally never said a thing about Travis,” she reminded the mercurial rapper. “Was just helping a fan.” This is, in fact, what she did, stopping her show mid-performance to ensure a fan who couldn’t breathe got an inhaler while noting, “I wait for people to be OK until I keep going.” Some construed this as a slight toward Travis Scott, who reportedly performed for nearly 40 minutes during the Astroworld mass casualty disaster, but anyone who’s been to enough shows can tell you this is something performers say quite a lot — I mentioned in my recap of 2019’s Real Street Fest that Kanye’s own former artist Big Sean did and said as much during his own set.
Billie Eilish responds to Kanye West asking her to apologize for allegedly dissing Travis Scott:
“literally never said a thing about travis. was just helping a fan” pic.twitter.com/kMLCwk0Hzh
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) February 10, 2022
If Travis Scott’s feeling guilty, that’s on him to settle with his own conscience. And while Kanye is running around demanding apologies perhaps he should consider offering one of his own for the last five years he subjected us all to.
Kanye West Appears To Confirm That His Coachella Headlining Set Will Include Travis Scott
It looks like Travis Scott is still headling Coachella after all — sort of. After the Houston rapper was dropped from the lineup following the mass casualty disaster at his own Astroworld Festival last summer, it appears he found a loophole to get back on the stage at Coachella (no, not that petition full of fake signatures): by joining Kanye West’s headlining set instead. Kanye appeared to confirm that he planned to bring out Travis in an Instagram post today, writing, “YES TRAV WILL BE WITH ME AT COACHELLA.”
However, there’s one other caveat: Fellow headliner (and Travis replacement) Billie Eilish must first apologize to Travis Scott for hurting his feelings. In Kanye’s all-caps post, he railed against Billie for her comments during one of her own recent shows, during which she stopped performing to get a distressed fan medical assistance. “I wait for people to be OK until I keep going,” she said. Some fans interpreted the statement as a shot at Travis, who reportedly continued performing for almost 40 minutes after authorities had declared a mass casualty event at Astroworld.
According to Kanye, “TRAV DIDN’T HAVE ANY IDEA OF WHAT WAS HAPPENING WHEN HE WAS ON STAGE AND WAS VERY HURT BY WHAT HAPPENED.” However, without an apology from Billie for… explaining herself, I guess… Kanye says, “I NEED BILLIE TO APOLOGIZE BEFORE I PERFORM.” I’m not sure there’s an opt-out clause in his performance agreement for being insulted by pop stars half his age. He also recently demanded an apology from the whole Kardashian family for his own antics, so maybe he’ll spend the extra sulking time figuring his life out.