Coachella electronic acts steal the show for Weekend 1
A prophetic return to the desert, Calvin Harris closed down the Coachella Main stage for the first time in seven years. Drawing the biggest crowd of the weekend, Harris stupefied the grounds with his era-defining catalog of dance monuments like “Feel So Close,” “Summer,” and (literally) “This Is What You Came For.” Bringing out Ellie Goulding for a guest appearance on “Miracle” was a resounding close to the Scotsman’s worthy tribute to dance-pop devotees everywhere.
Besides Harris, the Outdoor Theatre occupied the festival’s most heavily attended performances. Eric Prydz brought his HOLO production to California for the first time ever. A landmark complement to the set for the eager fans at home, YouTube provided the first official livestream since the hotly attended project’s inception. The Chemical Brothers had arguably the most nuanced and well-received performance of Friday, while FISHER back-to-back Chris Lake drew the biggest crowd of the weekend outside of the main stage.
Across the festival grounds, the Sahara Tent and DoLab served as highly sought-after destinations for festival-goers. Tale of Us, high tech-minimal master Boris Brejcha, and a last-minute addition of Blink-182 were just a few highlights from the prolific Sahara structure. In the minimalistic DoLab, surprise guests stole the show—including a rare DJ set from ODESZA, Vintage Culture back-to-back Mochakk, and Monolink.
But the highlight of the weekend in planet dance music was the Yuma tent. Expanding in size due to swelling demand in previous years, Yuma booked some of the biggest names in house and techno. Idris Elba, Hot Since 82, Cassian, and more kept the party going the whole weekend. However, the only act of the weekend to reach max capacity was CamelPhat, where a SWAT team blocked the doors for the last hour of the duo’s set. Designed to feel like a dark, smoldering club, the Yuma tent solidified itself as the place to be.
Photos courtesy of Coachella.
Featured image: Courtesy of Coachella