Year after year I remain in awe of the Coachella experience. From the performances to the crazy outfits, floral hair arrangements and flash tattoos to the celebrities and parties, Coachella is definitely on the bucket list. Here are my top ten highlights of Coachella 2015:
1. Madonna surprised(?) Drake during his set with a long smooch and Drake looked absolutely disgusted/mortified. Was Drake really that grossed out? How do you think this ranks up against Madonna and Britney’s kiss at the VMAs back in 2003?
2. During the same Drake set, Justin Bieber got into a scuffle with security when he tried to get into the VIP area—Bieber was put into a chokehold and caused quite the commotion before getting kicked out of Coachella. Sounds like Bieber’s ego may be a bit tainted/legal action will be taken.
3. Florence Welch of Florence and the Machine got a little bit too energetic and broke her foot while leaping off stage. Apparently the performance was still amazing, but her stage time in weekend two was significantly shortened. Let’s hope Florence recovers quickly and learns how to safely jump off of stages.
4. Kylie Jenner’s outfit choices and hairstyle as well as Instagram photos are definitely worthy of a comment. Besides substituting her trademark turquoise hair with a pink wig and later with gray braids, Kylie had some racy outfits (or lack thereof) in the desert. In addition to her posts in a skimpy black bikini on Instagram, Kylie was seen in a sheer catsuit with lace-up heels. Rumors have also surfaced that she will be moving in with her new boyfriend, Tyga. I’m sure Kris is pleased.
5. Kanye crashed The Weeknd’s set, which was already amazing with covers of Beyonce’s “Drunk in Love” and Ariana Grande’s “Love Me Harder,” as well as his own hit “Earned it” from 50 Shades of Grey. Kanye had not performed at Coachella since 2011—I guess it was about time he made an appearance.
6. Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness is/was awesome. From “Something Corporate” to “Jack’s Mannequin” to beating leukemia and now making it as a solo artist, the critics are saying that McMahon definitely won over some new fans with his performances at Coachella. McMahon surprised fans by popping oversized balloons during his hit song “Cecilia and the Satellite,” which released tons of confetti into the crowd. Check it out on Instagram—the fans loved it!
7. The Weeknd has some competition with the surprise guest artist game—David Guetta had an exciting surprise for the crowd too. Guetta brought out the reunited Black Eyed Peas for “I Gotta Feeling.” Don’t worry, Fergie was still “Glamorous.”
8. Jaden Smith wore this:
I’m not so sure what he was going for, but Jaden nailed the high-low dress.
9. After the big Madonna-Drake kiss in the first weekend, fans were hyped for Drake’s surprise guest artist at the very end of weekend two. Instead of another Madonna performance and make-out session, Nicki Minaj was the surprise guest. Fans were less than pleased since she did not do much more than give Drake a hug and blow a kiss to the crowd. Word on the street is that this was the disappointment of Coachella 2015.
10. Kaskade made it big time. He was the only electronic artist who played on Coachella’s main stage this year and attracted two of the biggest crowds ever in the festival’s history. Kaskade had his debut at Coachella for the first time in 2006 and performed his set on a card table draped in black cloth—this year’s production took months to prepare. This is definitely a sign he made it. Way to go, Kaskade!
Of course there were tons of other great moments at Coachella this year, so be sure to check out the Coachella channel on YouTube for the live performances!