Coachella Through the Years - Part 2: From Beyonce to Billie Eilish, every headliner since 1999
Every Coachella headliner since 1999 - Part 2
Coachella 2024 is underway at the Empire Polo Club in Indio. On Day 1, the crowd was blown away by Lana Del Rey's headlining set. Meanwhile, Day 2 headliner, Tyler, the Creator, brought fireworks to the desert festival through his high-energy performance. As attendees prepare to catch the upcoming acts, let's have a look at the headliners who have graced the event since its inception in 1999.
2011: Kings of Leon, Arcade Fire, Kanye West, The Strokes
Kanye West's headlining act on Day 3 of the 2011 edition of the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival has been named one of the greatest hip-hop festival sets. Kings of Leon, Arcade Fire, and The Strokes also headlined at Coachella 2011.
2012: The Black Keys, Radiohead, Dr Dre & Snoop Dogg
2012 marked the festival's expansion from its original one-weekend run to the current two-weekend version. Dr Dre and Snoop Dogg's joint headlining act created ripples among the attendees after they resurrected the late Tupac as a 3D hologram figure. The Black Keys and Radiohead spearheaded the event on the other days.
2013: Blur, The Stone Roses, Phoenix, Red Hot Chili Peppers
As the festival grew bigger and better, more artists took the stage to enthrall the eager audience. 2013 was the year of the Brits as Blur and The Stone Roses mesmerized the crowd on Day 1 with their headlining acts. Red Hot Chilli Pepper returned to the desert festival for the third time with an electrifying performance on Day 3. The French indie rock band Phoenix also left an indelible mark on the audience with their headlining set.
2014: OutKast, Muse, Arcade Fire
In the 2014 edition of Coachella, OutKast, Muse, and Arcade Fire delivered headlining acts. Having said that, EDM performers like Calvin Harris, Skrillex, and Disclosure emerged as crowd favorites, outshining the headlining rock bands.
2015: ACDC, Jack White, Drake
With headliners like ACDC, Jack White, and Drake, Coachella 2015 was bound to be memorable, and unsurprisingly the tickets sold out within minutes after they went on sale. The most awestriking moment from Drake's headlining act was when his special guest, Madonna, kissed the rapper on his lips during their performance, as per The Independent.
2016: LCD Soundsystem, Guns N’ Roses, Calvin Harris
Coachella 2016 was memorable for Guns N' Roses for quite a few reasons. Apart from headlining the event, the band and their fans witnessed the reunion of Axl Rose and Slash following a decade-long fallout. Another headliner, LCD Soundsystem, also reconnected after disbanding in 2011. Calvin Harris, the first DJ to headline the desert festival, ended the weekend on a high note, joined by guests like Big Sean, Rihanna, and John Newman.
2017: Radiohead, Lady Gaga, Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick Lamar made his Coachella debut with the 2017 edition of the music festival as Radiohead returned to headline once more. While Beyonce was originally set to deliver a headlining act, she pulled out of the festival due to her pregnancy, and Lady Gaga ended up replacing her.
2018: The Weeknd, Beyonce, Eminem
Beyonce enthralled the Coachella 2018 attendees as she created history by becoming the first Black woman to headline the desert festival. Her act, lovingly termed "Beychella," later became the focus of the Netflix documentary 'Homecoming'. Eminem and The Weeknd were the other two headliners for the 2018 edition of the SoCal music festival.
2019: Childish Gambino, Tame Impala, Ariana Grande
Ariana Grande, Childish Gambino, and Tame Impala headlined Coachella's 2019 edition before the pandemic forced the music event to be put on hold for two years. The special appearance by Justin Timberlake's boy band NSYNC during Grande's act was well-appreciated.
2022: Harry Styles, Billie Eilish, The Weeknd
Following the COVID-19-induced hiatus, Billie Eilish headlined the comeback 2022 iteration as The Weeknd returned to the desert festival to replace Kanye West. This was the year Harry Styles managed to stun festivalgoers by performing exclusive tracks from his 'Harry's House' album. They were especially thrilled when he brought out Shania Twain as a guest performer.
2023: Bad Bunny, BLACKPINK, Frank Ocean
In the 2023 edition of Coachella, Bad Bunny became the first-ever Latin American, Spanish-language speaking artist to headline the event. Moreover, the South Korean girl group BLACKPINK became the first-ever K-Pop group to perform at Coachella. Frank Ocean too made his grand comeback, having last performed at the SoCal festival in 2012.
