Toreros head to the desert

Coachella weekend one kicks off with The Weeknd, Beyoncé, and Eminem headlining the festival

Mary Pat Abruzzo | Contributor | USD Vista

Young adults covered in body glitter and an excessive amount of accessories flocked to the festival grounds for Coachella Weekend One, including some University of San Diego students.

Coachella 2018 was filled with the expected celebrity sightings, trendy food, and festival fashion, but it exceeded expectations of musical performances.

The lineup consisted of headliners The Weeknd, Beyoncé, and Eminem. It also contained a wide variety of artists from different genres. There was a little bit for every music fan, with performances by Cardi B, Odesza, and Vance Joy.

On day one the crowd was fresh and energetic, roaming around the iconic ferris wheel of Coachella, stopping every now and then for an insta-worthy picture. It was sophomore Megan Tchejeyan first time attending Coachella.

The best moment of her Coachella experience was walking into the festival for the first time.

“I wanted to experience what everyone talks about and be a part of the festival,” Tchejeyan said.

Kicking off the weekend in the newly remodeled Sahara Tent, Whethan, an American DJ, brought out the 11-year-old viral sensation Mason Ramsay, aka “Yodel Boy.” He recently became internet famous for yodeling in Walmart and the crowd went crazy as “Yodel Boy” sung his heart out.

As the sun set Friday night, Kygo, a Norwegian DJ, took the Coachella stage and gave a magical performance.

Kygo surprised the crowd by bringing out actor and singer, Jamie Foxx, and member of One Republic, Ryan Tener. Next up on the Coachella Stage was SZA, an American R&B singer and songwriter.

She surprised the crowd by bringing out Coachella 2017 headliner Kendrick Lamar. Day one’s headliner was The Weeknd, who gave an emotional performance, singing from his newly released album “My Dear Melancholy.”

Day two was dominated by the performance of headliner Beyoncé, turning Weekend One into “Beychella” and giving a historic performance. “Thank you for allowing me to be the first black woman to headline Coachella,” Beyoncé said. Beyoncé’s two-hour set opened with her surrounded by a pyramid of backup dancers dressed in military-themed costumes. Queen B was joined on stage by her husband, Jay-Z, but if that wasn’t enough she wowed the crowd even more with a reunion of Destiny’s Child, bringing out Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams.

Sophomore Kai Harper attended the festival for a second time.

“My best moment at Coachella was seeing the silhouette of three women at Beyoncé’s set and realizing that it was a Destiny’s Child reunion,” Harper said.

To top it all off Beyoncé’s sister, Solange, also joined her to dance the night away on stage. Although Beyoncé famously canceled her performance last year due to her pregnancy with twins, it was well worth the wait.

The crowd was still in shock from Beyoncé’s performance going into day three, but arrived to the festival ready to soak up the desert sun on the final day.

The Mojave Stage held Aminé, who performed his famous hit “Caroline.” Festivalgoers ran to the Coachella Stage to see Cardi B’s set which was filled with special guests including Chance the Rapper, G-Eazy, 21 Savage, and Kehlani. Next was Odesza, an electronic duo, who put on a spectacular musical and visual performance.

Sophomore Tyler Lard was also attending the festival for a second time. Odesza along with Beyoncé were his favorite performances.

“Odesza incorporated things into their set that I had never seen,” Yard said. “Pictures couldn’t do it justice, you had to be in the moment.”

Odesza used a combination of visuals and lights coordinated with their music and live drum lines to create an EDM show like no other. To take it to the next level, Odesza lit up the desert sky with drones. The last performance was from day three headliner Eminem. He ended the festival with a bang, bringing out Skylar Gray, Dr. Dre, and 50 Cent.

As the festival came to an end, Yard reflected on why people attend Coachella.

“Coachella is an escape,” Yard said. “For a weekend everyone just has fun and a positive light to them. They are there to listen to music and make friends. I can’t wait to go again.”

Some USD students may be packing their bags for Weekend Two, while country music fans may be preparing for Stagecoach.

If Toreros didn’t snag a ticket for this year’s festival season, they can look forward to Coachella 2019 as it is the 20th anniversary.