Indio, CA @ Coachella: Weekend 1 - April 12th, 2024

[Embach 21,304]

4 minutes ago, Brooklyn Fetus said:

why is this hot may i get some context?

Just a group therapy session where we are sharing our after-thoughts on this show. Some thoughts are negative, some positive but at least the therapy is free 🫶

[honeyslow 3,257]

Sorry if this has been posted before but I just read NME's review of the show and really liked it. The last sentence sums it all up tbh:

 

It’s clear redemption is not the theme of the night but a celebration of a star who always stays true to herself.

 

Spoiler

April 12, Indio, California: Although mired by sound issues, the singer’s first Coachella headline set presents a lowkey, artful celebration of her career so far

 

Before Coachella 2024 kicked off, Lana Del Rey appeared to hint that her headline moment was the crux of a narrative arc of redemption. On the side of the highway leading to the desert festival, she posted a billboard nodding to the 2012 SNL performance she was mercilessly crucified for. “Has anyone else died for you?” it pointedly asked, designed in a way that sent up the advertising hoardings that populate America’s Bible Belt.

 

When she arrives on stage tonight (April 12) – making her grand entrance via a motorcade of motorbikes, riding through the crowd – it doesn’t feel like redemption. Del Rey has long proven what she’s really capable of, both on record and in her live performances that have seen her become a festival headliner around the world. Instead, her first time atop the Coachella bill feels reflective; a survey of all she’s done and created over the last 12 years.

 

It begins by dialling things all the way back to 2012 and her debut album, ‘Born To Die’ – or, more specifically, one of its bonus tracks, ‘Without You’. It’s a surprising but beautiful opening, even if its “Hello hello, can, can you hear me?” line takes on a prophetic slant later in the set. There are songs dug out from Del Rey’s cupboard that haven’t been played in years – the hazy ‘West Coast’, and her take on Sublime’s ‘Doin’ Time’ among them – and, even when she’s playing some of her biggest hits, there’s a feeling that you’re watching a setlist of lowkey gems. The stuttering ‘Bartender’ melds smoothly with the dreaminess of ‘Chemtrails Over The Country Club’, ‘Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd’’s yearning shifts quickly into the more gently acerbic ‘Norman Fucking Rockwell’.

 

As that ‘Without You’ lyric predicts, though, Del Rey’s set – like much of day one across the festival – is mired by sound issues. At several points, she stops singing to check on technical issues and, after the gorgeous ‘…Ocean Blvd’, sings: “As quiet as I am, how are you doing?” That seems to be both a reference to the sound and her not spending much time interacting with the audience – immediately after, she continues her melodic inquiry: “As little as I have to say, can you hear me well?”

Some festival-goers and critics have pointed to Del Rey as an “odd” choice of headliner – someone not exactly known for putting in energetic, flashy performances. Tonight, unswayed by those opinions, she sticks to what is true to her and instead focuses on something artful rather than gimmicky. After arriving on her motorcade, she enters a stage built to look like a palatial old mansion, where she’s joined by dancers moving down the grand staircases and, later, guests who stop by to stay for a moment. The beauty in the performances comes in the small details – the star lying back on her dancers for ‘Pretty When You Cry’, all of them dressed in blue like a pool of sparkling tears, or her leaning into the narrative of ‘Bartender’, briefly, coolly, checking her appearance in a mirror while the performers around her venture into choreography that feels almost occultist.

There is a subtle flash, though. When Jack Antonoff takes a seat behind the piano for ‘Hope Is A Dangerous Thing For A Woman Like Me To Have – But I Have It’, he’s not joining flesh-and-blood Lana on stage, but a hologram version of her that spins slowly, gracefully in one spot. When the song arrives at the “Hello, it’s the most famous woman you know on the iPad” lyric, it feels like the stage has become our screen, Del Rey’s virtual image beaming through from somewhere else.

 

As rumoured, a handful of guests make an appearance, too, including Antonoff. First, Jon Batiste joins her for a sublime ‘Candy Necklace’ that closes with the pair ad-libbing together in harmony. After, Billie Eilish sits next to Del Rey on her balcony, duetting versions of their respective breakthrough songs, ‘Ocean Eyes’ and ‘Video Games’. It’s a stunning coming together of two of music’s most distinctive voices.

 

As well as an impressive catalogue, what Del Rey has also created over the last 12 years is impact – something that’s evident across Coachella this year. Earlier in the day, Chappell Roan projects her image onto the screen behind her as she performs, while throughout the bill, you can spot more artists who’ve been inspired by the headliner, like Suki Waterhouse and The Last Dinner Party. After ‘Video Games’ ends, Del Rey turns to the crowd to remind them Eilish is “the voice of our generation”, but her guest has her own truth to share: “This is the reason for half of you bitches’ existence,” Eilish bluntly declares. A short while later, Del Rey returns backstage on her motorcade. As she waves to the crowd like a 1920s beauty queen on an elegant victory lap, it’s clear redemption is not the theme of the night but a celebration of a star who always stays true to herself.

 

 

 

[Orville Peck 22,814]

after this performance I've been so obsessed with Without You 

[X8vinylScratchX 1,467]

22 minutes ago, fl0r1dakil0s said:

ELON MUSK LIKING THIS TWEET IS SO

 

Didn’t Elon post some random Off to the Races Harley Quinn music video once? Now he’s liking this? I just KNOW he has a micropenis. And this Mary Morgan bitch is some pick me conservative “pop culture” critic. These people deserve to be ignored or made fun of.

[MamaDelGhey 2,163]

3 hours ago, DemonMic2003 said:

The L4na at 2024 Coachella is very similar to the L4na at the Grammy stage when T4ylor dragged her there 

Why on e4rth do you do this 

[Embach 21,304]

1 minute ago, X8vinylScratchX said:

Didn’t Elon post some random Off to the Races Harley Quinn music video once? 

Oh yeah he did, I forgot about that lmaooo

[drippingbeaches 1,367]

1 hour ago, X8vinylScratchX said:

10+ years of smoking/vaping isn’t good for anyones lungs. Isn’t there that photo of the tsunami of vapes she owned? At this point it definitely has some impact on her ability to perform live. Especially when nervous. She doesn’t seem to sing as much on stage, leaving some parts out or pointing the mic to the audience.

That wasn't her photo lol it was a troll someone made

[honeyslow 3,257]

the way I'm watching this for the third time in almost 36 hours rn.. points were made  

[Crazy for You 5,714]

FUCK ELON MUSK

 

 

[Embach 21,304]

1 hour ago, Xenoblade 3 said:

That would be great but she was uncomfortable at Coachella and wasn’t vibing. The public wasn’t eating as they left.

 

I’m genuinely worried about Weekend 2 being empty. That would be embarrassing af. Hopefully, a wake up call for her and her team.

Critics have been eating it up, so it's not much of a damage for her career

[Make me your Dream Life 83,211]

Sensual, irl Cinderella. That's what her outfit reminded me of. 

[Embach 21,304]

 

9 minutes ago, Make me your Dream Life said:

Sensual, irl Cinderella. That's what her outfit reminded me of. 

She should sing Queen Of Disaster next time with lyrics "got me spinning like a pole dancer". I need this emoji to be real so bad

[Make me your Dream Life 83,211]

7 minutes ago, Embach said:

 

She should sing Queen Of Disaster next time with lyrics "got me spinning like a pole dancer". I need this emoji to be real so bad

Serene Queen, but with her starting, levitating and hurling pieces of the set at her haters 

[mcull13 212]

1 hour ago, fl0r1dakil0s said:

ELON MUSK LIKING THIS TWEET IS SO

 

why do people obsess over her weight it’s so strange and weird. he needs to get a life. 

[LifeOnMars 6,254]

1 hour ago, Xenoblade 3 said:

I’m genuinely worried about Weekend 2 being empty. That would be embarrassing af. Hopefully, a wake up call for her and her team.

Weekend 2 isn’t sold out so it was going to be emptier regardless. Outside of here and Reddit I’ve seen a lot more positive reactions to her performance, even from critics(besides the Guardian). I also heard that Tyler, the creator’s crowd was kind of empty despite him giving a great performance so it’s not just Lana that had that problem. I still hope they improve the setlist and sound issues though. 

[mcull13 212]

45 minutes ago, X8vinylScratchX said:

Didn’t Elon post some random Off to the Races Harley Quinn music video once? Now he’s liking this? I just KNOW he has a micropenis. And this Mary Morgan bitch is some pick me conservative “pop culture” critic. These people deserve to be ignored or made fun of.

he also said that young in beautiful was his favourite from the great gatsby he needs to get of Twitter 

[Xenoblade 3 2,065]

12 hours ago, Embach said:

Critics have been eating it up, so it's not much of a damage for her career

What do critics have to do with the Coachella audience? 

 

Mind you, Blue Banisters has a higher “critics” score than Born To Die. And only one album is almost a career ending flop. Her reputation with the GP is on the line here. This is the first time I’ve read about people leaving a L4na show at a festival in droves before her set is over. I don’t think this had ever happened before. Her set is usually the most packed at festivals. This could affect her future festival billing.

[Unknown 3,130]

The Grammys not including Lana in their Coachella post is insane she's literally the headliner https://www.instagram.com/p/C5t1OthR2_I/?igsh=MW1mbXc1cTRzeGtwMQ==

[Embach 21,304]

18 minutes ago, Xenoblade 3 said:

What do critics have to do with the Coachella audience? 

 

Mind you, Blue Banisters has a higher “critics” score than Born To Die. And only one album is almost a career ending flop. Her reputation with the GP is on the line here.

Still, many fans on twitter or other pits of social media have loved the show so far. The GP is more mad at the Coachella for messing up with the techs and shit.

[fl0r1dakil0s 20,677]

https://x.com/lanadelreybuzz/status/1779590994930868471?s=46&t=w9cCNaJUxFOFqgWg4aEj3Q