As probably the biggest fangirl you’ll ever meet, as well as chronically online, it comes as no shock that one of my favorite periods in the media is the one and only – MUSIC FESTIVAL SEASON.
There are a few different peaks of festival season, in late spring and early fall, and my favorite era is the spring music festival season. The spring music festival season in April/May showcases no other than Coachella and Stagecoach. Essentially, celebrity and influencer olympics or my Super Bowl. We have a month straight of fashion, collabs, content, music, iconic moments, and more. From Lady Gaga giving a groundbreaking performance on night one to the media being up in arms about the “mushroom skirt” to Lana Del Rey performing new songs at Stagecoach, a LOT was going on in the media. Here I will go over some of my standout moments of the spring festival season!
WHY IS NO ONE DANCING?
I love keeping up with Alix Earle and her friends during major festivals and events because they always bring the fun! No matter the occasion, they bring energy and fun, dance, let loose, and embody having a good time. They especially bring this energy during music events! They love the music and are there for a good time! During Coachella day one, Alix Earle, Ashtin Earle, and a few more of their friends brought this same excitement to the festival grounds for Lady Gaga, the headliner, but were met with a standstill crowd and a mini altercation. Alix posted a TikTok showing the lackluster crowd, and explaining how a group of girls were complaining about Alix and their friends dancing and having a good time. Here’s my take: MUSIC FESTIVALS ARE FOR FUN! It is understandable not to know every artist, to care a little bit more about the fashion, or whatever it may be, but it is important to remember that you are at a MUSIC FESTIVAL. It is about the music at the heart of it all, and people should feel free to dance, jump around, and have fun! Of course, there are still some boundaries and things to be mindful of, but being judged for having fun and enjoying the music should never be the case. Even if you are more of a person who wants to watch and observe the performance, maybe it’s best to go toward the back of the crowd. I just want people to have FUN. Even in clubs or school dances, people are so worried about others’ opinions that they stand around, just being bodies on a wall. Let’s have fun! Dance around with your friends! And if that is not your vibe, don’t ruin someone else’s fun. Is this a hot take? Maybe. All in all, I loved seeing Alix and her friends have fun regardless – they bring the party!
I AM STILL OBSESSED WITH PPG+PPGM.
I am still at the restaurant – Love Island USA Season 6, and specifically PPG+PPGM. This is a small section, but I just have to let everyone know that I LOVED seeing them all take on Coachella together and do big things outside of the villa almost a year later. ALSO shortly after Coachella, it was finally officially announced that there will be a season six spin off with the main stars from the show! I am SO excited to see them on the big screens once again. If you’re around me for longer than an hour you’ll hear me talk about my love for Serena and Kordell, it’s actually a problem. Back to Coachella! The outfits were so cute, PPG+PPGM had their own villa in the valley, and just seemed to be having so much fun! It heightened my excitement for the spin-off for sure!
BRAT SUMMER IS OVER. LORDE SUMMER OTW?
Charli xcx drew a huge crowd to her Coachella stage on day two of the festival. Following Brat Summer, Charli xcx has been at one of her highest peaks in fame and “relevancy”, and people love to see what new she’ll pull out at her concerts. During Coachella, she brought out Billie Eilish, Lorde, and Troy Sivan during her set and had the crowd going CRAZY. To close out her set, she played a sentimental montage addressing that Brat Summer is probably nearing its end, and how it’s almost hard to let go of. She also threw a few shoutouts to people who are releasing this summer, and who should have a moment. One of those shout outs being Lorde. LORDE IS BACK! Lorde has released new single “What Was That”, a week or two following Coachella and has been doing different appearances solidifying her comeback this summer. I am beyond excited, Lorde is coming back, better than ever! Aside from Lorde, I do think it is interesting how the internet gets so tired of things so fast. Brat Summer only became a thing last summer (2024), and has been such a moment in Charli’s career, and such a huge thing in pop culture. Already, people are saying that she needs to give it up and move on, but I think we should just go with the flow! Brat Summer was iconic, and if people want to celebrate for another summer or even fifty summers, let it be!
LANACOACH OR LANACHELLA?
Lana Del Rey took over music festival season for the second year in a row. Last year, 2024, Lana headlined day one of Coachella and had two iconic performances on both weekends on her own and also brought out guests like Billie Eilish. Lana rode in on a motorcycle, easily one of the most iconic Coachella introductions ever. With an amazing setlist, cute outfits, surprise guests, crowd work, and all-around excitement to see Lana perform on a Coachella stage for the first time since 2014 (a decade!), it was nothing short of an EXPERIENCE for viewers at home and those in the front row. I was personally on my phone watching the live, having a concert in my room, so I was practically there. Any opportunity to see Lana performing is something to take advantage of because she can easily go MIA for who knows how long. Now, this year, Lana Del Rey took the stage as a Stagecoach headliner, embracing her newfound country era, opposite of her Coachella stage. At Stagecoach, Lana’s visuals took us fans straight back to her Born to Die era. Lana performed brand new songs for her new album that has gone through a million rumored release dates, but we still don’t know when it’s truly releasing (it has to be this year, right?). Jelly Roll, who was also a headliner, brought Lana out for a part of his performance. Needless to say, she had lots of iconic moments for Stagecoach weekend. I loved that she headlined both festivals back to back, showing her impact, versatility, longevity, and forever iconic-ness. I think Lanachella reigns supreme for me, but Lanacoach was definitely another amazing performance from the one and only Lana Del Rey.