Second day of Coachella Music and Arts Festival continued Saturday at the Empire Polo Club with a jam-packed lineup culminating in a performance by headliner Billie Eilish.

The day – which, like the weekend, is streamed live on YouTube – included both festival staples and newcomers, a farewell performance and the possibility of unreleased music to be released by one of hip-hop’s biggest stars.

A shirtless Justin Bieber and a Harry Styles-Shania Twain duet were among the highlights of Friday’s first night as the festival drew thousands of fans to the Indio area after two years of pandemic cancellations.

Styles, a longtime fan of the veteran singer, joined Twain in singing her 1999 hit “Man, I Feel Like a Woman” and also featured two new songs. Bieber showed up during singer-songwriter Daniel Caesar’s set to perform their hit “Peaches.”

Styles headlined Friday, which also included performances from Caesar, Princess Nokia, MIKA, Ari Lennox, Anitta and Grupo Firme.

Eilish also performed at the festival in 2019. She will be preceded by Megan Thee Stallion, who teased playing an unreleased song during her set, tweeting last week: “I have this song I recorded and everytime I play it for a female they start jumping and clapping I think I want to play it at Coachella for the first time before I drop it.

On Saturday night, American hip-hop boy band Brockhampton will take the stage for the last time in the Sahara tent. After 12 years together and six studio albums, the band announced earlier this year that Coachella would be their final performance.

At 51, electronic music pioneer Richie Hawtin is set to make his seventh Coachella appearance, closing the Yuma tent on Saturday. Hawtin, who appeared on Coachella’s inaugural bill in 1999, recently released a reimagined version of his 1998 album “Consumed,” which was released under his musical alter ego Plastikman.

Ye – the rapper formerly known as Kanye West – pulled out of his headlining act last week, but The Weeknd and Swedish House Mafia were more than willing to step in to fill the Sunday lineup void.

Originally slated to join rapper Freddie Gibbs on the Gobi Stage on Sunday, DJ and multi-instrumentalist Madlib has also been dropped from the lineup for “personal reasons”, festival officials tweeted on Saturday. Gibbs will now perform solo.

All programming will be repeated next weekend.

Indio Police Department spokesman Ben Guitron said there were no significant arrests or traffic incidents during the first day of the festival.

Attendees are not required to show proof of vaccination or COVID testing, and mask-wearing is not required at the outdoor event. But health officials continue to urge precautions against the spread of the virus, and testing is available in and around the Coachella Valley.

This year’s festival also includes a commemorative NFT. Two years ago, NFTs were almost unheard of, but the festival is giving all attendees a free 2022 In Bloom digital NFT, redeemable through the FTX app with every ticket wristband. Once redeemed, the NFT comes with perks, including a dedicated entry lane and limited-edition merchandise.

As the In Bloom NFT seed blossoms into a desert flower, owners could nab one of six rare flowers to grant them premium festival upgrades, such as a 2023 general admission festival pass, premium merchandise, VIP lounge access, Ferris wheel rides, Goldenvoice concert tickets or a 2022 VIP upgrade.

Ticket holders also received some welcome news on Thursday when performance times were released – and Arcade Fire emerged as a surprise addition to the lineup.

The band performed at 6:45 p.m. Friday at the Mojave tent, wedged between Carly Rae Jepsen and Idles. Their last album, “Everything Now,” was released five years ago, but the band’s new album is due out May 6 via Columbia Records.

For those who can’t attend Coachella, artists such as Louis the Child, Tokimonsta, Tchami, John Summit and more are scheduled to perform at events such as Day Club at the Hilton in Palm Springs this weekend. end and the next.

– City News Service