Uproxx had Aaron Williams and Philip Cosores on the ground at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California for Weekend 1 of Coachella 2024, and among their main takeaways was that the festival had “plenty of surprises.” In a literal sense, Coachella 2024 Weekend 1 staged several surprise guests who easily could have headlined their own sets.
Below, check out the best surprise performances from Coachella 2024 Weekend 1.
Billie Eilish With Lana Del Rey
Friday night’s (April 12) headliner was Lana Del Rey. Billie Eilish made a surprise appearance — although the rumor mill was busy earlier in the day, so it really wasn’t much of a surprise — during the set. They performed Eilish’s “Ocean Eyes” and Del Rey’s “Video Games” together. Eilish showered Del Rey with praise, telling the crowd, “This is the reason for half you b*tches’ existence, including mine.” (Eilish later held a surprise Coachella party of her own, where she debuted music from her forthcoming album, Hit Me Hard And Soft.)
Lana Del Rey and Billie Eilish sing “Ocean Eyes” at #Coachella.
@jeffmillerla pic.twitter.com/O1xcbiYgsz
— Variety (@Variety) April 13, 2024
Shakira With Bizarrap
Elsewhere on Friday night, Shakira made a she-wolf entrance during Bizarrap’s set. Of course, she performed their Billboard Hot 100 top-10 hit “BZRP Music Sessions, Vol. 53,” but she really stole the show by announcing her Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour.
Becky G, Arcángel With Peso Pluma
Earlier on Friday, Peso Pluma and Arcángel released the video for “PESO COMPLETO.” It was all a set up for Pluma’s Friday night Coachella set, where Arcángel joined him for the live debut of the song. Becky G also joined Pluma to perform “Chanel.”
Olivia Rodrigo With No Doubt
It had been nearly a decade since No Doubt last performed before the iconic Gwen Stefani-led band reunited for Coachella 2024. The nostalgia-jammed set on Saturday night, April 13, hit all the right notes — including several “Just A Girl” callbacks (as chronicled by Billboard.) But one brand-new element for the ska band was inviting Olivia Rodrigo to the stage, where Rodrigo and Stefani sang “Bathwater.”
Juvenile With Jon Batiste
Jon Batiste is among music’s most ubiquitous collaborators, so he presumably had plenty of options when deciding who to bring out during his first-ever Coachella set. He landed on Juvenile and Willow to perform “Back That Azz Up” and “Be Who You Are,” respectively.
Paris Hilton With Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend was a last-minute add to the Coachella 2024 lineup. As a result, we got an unexpected appearance by Paris Hilton at Coachella 2024. That’s hot.
Taylor Swift And Travis Kelce
This one is mostly a joke, but we learned in 2023 that we are not allowed to ignore when Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce appear anywhere. Swift is on her The Eras Tour hiatus, so she did not perform, but she was notably in the crowd (dancing, kissing, singing, swooning) with Kelce for Bleachers and Ice Spice. X (formerly Twitter) and TikTok house unlimited footage.
ASAP Rocky, Charlie Wilson, Donald Glover, And Kali Uchis With Tyler The Creator
As aforementioned, Uproxx’s Aaron Williams was in attendance for Tyler The Creator’s headlining set on Saturday night. Tyler brought out ASAP Rocky (“Who Dat Boy,” “Potato Salad”), Charlie Wilson (“Earfquake”), Donald Glover (“Running Out Of Time”), and Kali Uchis (“See You Again”) throughout his three-act set — and “showed what a headliner is supposed to be.” It’s probably not a coincidence that, shortly thereafter, Glover revealed plans for a final Childish Gambino album.
Kesha With Reneé Rapp
It is truly Reneé Rapp’s world right now. She was introduced by the OG The L Word cast and brought out Kesha for an updated rendition of “Tik Tok” in which they shouted, “F*ck P. Diddy!”
Kesha was also spotted going down a gigantic slide with Paris Hilton, so that’s fun.
Kesha and Paris Hilton sliding down together at Coachella
pic.twitter.com/wPDgTWMNa5
— Kesha Discord (@KeshaDiscord) April 15, 2024
Will Smith With J Balvin
J Balvin has been a part of several notable moments in the past — as he shared on Instagram ahead of his set on Sunday, April 14 — so why stop now? The Colombian supernova was joined by Will Smith for an all-out performance of “Men In Black.” It was perfectly camp.
Will Smith performing Men In Black at Coachella with J Balvin. pic.twitter.com/TLbzdODZNx
— Complex Pop Culture (@ComplexPop) April 15, 2024
Will Smith performing “Men In Black” at #Coachella will J Balvin: pic.twitter.com/LqHgRpef2G
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) April 15, 2024
if I was dehydrated in the desert at Coachella and I saw Will Smith walk out in a Men In Black outfit I’d 100% think I was hallucinating pic.twitter.com/sNfKITDN4J
— Betches (@betchesluvthis) April 15, 2024
Justin Bieber And Wizkid With Tems
Justin and Hailey Bieber enjoyed Coachella 2024 from the crowd (and from Hailey’s Rhode pop-up) like everybody else — until Bieber (and Wizkid) made a surprise cameo with Tems on Sunday night for “Essence.” (Wizkid’s “Essence” featuring Bieber and Tems peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 in October 2021.) Bieber’s performance felt especially surprising because he has mostly kept a low profile since canceling his Justice World Tour in February 2023 after several postponements due to health concerns.
Tems, Wizkid and Justin Bieber perform “Essence” at #Coachella2024
— Complex UK (@complex_uk) April 15, 2024
21 Savage, ASAP Rocky, And Teezo Touchdown With Doja Cat
Weekend 1’s explosive finale came courtesy of Doja Cat on Sunday.
“This year, you brought a full-size Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton to your headlining set,” Uproxx’s Aaron Williams wrote in his review. “Bless you, you demented genius. You are the best.”
Doja also brought out 21 Savage, ASAP Rocky, and Teezo Touchdown. 21 was there to perform “N.H.I.E.,” his track with Doja from his American Dream album, while Rocky (“URRRGE!!!!!!!!!!”) and Teezo (“MASC“) each helped deliver live debuts from Doja’s Scarlet deluxe album.
Doja Cat brought out 21 Savage to perform “N.H.I.E.” at #COACHELLA pic.twitter.com/Gei4OZ83BA
— Complex Music (@ComplexMusic) April 15, 2024
Doja Cat performing “ URGEEE!!!!” with ASAP Rocky at #Coachella pic.twitter.com/8jdRzdWKrF
— Ɐ𝘂𝗿𝘆 ☥ (@riihsmybih) April 15, 2024
Doja Cat & Teezo Touchdown performing “MASC” at #Coachella pic.twitter.com/892efJrfbJ
— Doja HQ (@DojaHQs) April 15, 2024
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
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