Yes, what Queen Bey did at day two of Coachella was epic and will go down in music history. Talk to dozens of artists, as I did yesterday, and they will tell you Coachella isn’t just another music festival. Because of its size and stature it is a proving ground, a place where careers and, in the case of Beyonce, legends are made.
When the Queen took the stage just around 11:15 someone from the crowd shouted, “Legend.” Beyonce is already a superstar and an icon, just as Prince was when he took the main stage back in 2008. But that performance elevated him to another level of music history, just as Beyonce’s performance last night will. It will go down, along with Prince and Daft Punk’s star-building 2006 set, as the three most memorable performances in Coachella history to this point.
But as mind-blowing as Beyonce’s “Homecoming 2018” career retrospective set, which included appearances by husband Jay-Z, sister Solange and the Destiny’s Child reunion with Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, as well as 100 dancers choreographed with military precision, was, it was not “Beychella” as the internet has dubbed it.
There were plenty of other highlights on day two. Day two captured the essence of what makes Coachella so unique.
For starters, there were stars old and new. Before Beyonce sauntered into pop music lore, former Talking Heads’ frontman David Byrne dazzled thousands of fans with a set that, like Beyonce’s, though not on the same scale obviously, was as much performance art as it was a concert. With his exceptional band in unison both in attire and choreography, Byrne schooled the audience with Talking Heads’ classics like “Once In A Lifetime,” “Burning Down The House” and “Blind,” a stellar “Toejam,” which he wrote with Fatboy Slim, and the joyous solo track, “Everybody’s Coming To My House.” And the young crowd sang along as Nile Rodgers and Chic worked their way through a greatest hits of the last 30 years, from Madonna’s “Like A Virgin” and David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance” to Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky,” all songs Rodgers helped create.
On the newer side, Haim superbly warmed up the crowd for Beyonce. Given the star time slot before Beyonce, the sister act, who spoke affectionately from the stage about their decade as Coachella attendees, proved they are ready to take the next step towards headliner status. After a joyful party that included upbeat pop numbers such as “Want You Back,” “Forever” and “The Wire,” the trio wrapped up with all three of them forming a jubilant drum circle.
Keeping with the sister theme, Swedish sisters First Aid Kit turned in a stirring set that blended beautiful folk-tinged tunes such as “Emmylou,” the powerful anthem, a statement against sexual harassment, “You Are The Problem Here” and the fun pop hit “King Of The World.”
The mix of veteran icons and young up and comers has been a Coachella hallmark since the festival began in 1999. And as it does when the festival is in peak form, Coachella yesterday was a musical triumph with many great artists stepping up. For some, like Haim, it was a graduation to the next level; for others, like Byrne and Rodgers, it was a welcome reminder of their lofty place in music, and in the case of Beyonce it was another step into music history.
