We are sure that Coachella is one of the festivals that any music fan would love to attend at least once in their life. And the truth is that we understand it because in addition to the lineup, epic things always happen that go around the world. So 10 Of The Most Important Moments In Coachella History Are Worth Remembering.
Since this festival appeared in 1999, it was shaping up to be one of the most important on the planet.. And boy is it so, because practically any band or artist that they like has already played at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California; but not only that, because the new generations also dream of playing at Coachella.
Let’s review 10 of the biggest moments in Coachella history
Throughout almost 24 years of existence, a lot of things have happened in this great festival. Many Mexican acts have even had a chance to perform in Indio, California. That is why considering everything that has happened in this huge musical space, it is difficult to choose 10 of the biggest moments in Coachella history.
But don’t worry, we we throw ourselves into the job of remembering each of the Coachella editions to gather a few moments that we consider to be very important to the history of Coachella and here we show them. They are ready? It is time to travel to the past to remember true moments that changed music.
The first edition of Coachella in 1999
We couldn’t start this list of the 10 most important moments in Coachella history without reviewing the first edition of the festivalwhich took place October 9-10, 1999. Impressive artists played on that occasion, from Beck, Tool and Rage Against the Machine to The Chemical Brothers, Morrissey, A Perfect Circle, Jurassic 5 and Underworld.
Although the organizers expected at least 70,000 attendees at the first edition of Coachella, only 37,000 people fell at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California. Either way, things turned out great and they laid the foundations of what in a few years would become one of the best festivals in the world.
The return of the Pixies at Coachella 2004
Since its inception, Coachella has been characterized by having in its lineup some of the biggest bands and artists of the moment, as well as music legends. And without a doubt, shocked the world in 2004 when they accomplished something that seemed impossible: reuniting the original members of the Pixies on one stage.
On May 1, 2004, Black Francis, Joey Santiago, David Lovering and Kim Deal appeared on the main stage after more than a decade without performing together. and they threw a setlist full of hits at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California. And while the original lineup didn’t last long together, that performance certainly ranks among the biggest moments in Coachella history.
Madonna at Coachella 2006 opened the doors to many artists outside of rock
For 2006, Coachella once again gave a coup of authority in terms of festivals around the world, adding to that year’s lineup one of the greatest women in music history. Yes, we are talking about the same Madonna, who surprised locals and strangers with her presentation, because she had a party at the festival.
And although he did not play on the main stage and the setlist -mostly- was made up of songs by Confessions on a Dance Floorthe experts consider that the presentation of Madonna in that year It is one of the most important moments in the history of Coachella, as it opened the door at the festival to other acts that had nothing to do with rock.
Daft Punk and the epic show that was thrown at Coachella 2006
If we are already at Coachella 2006, of course we must talk about one of the most epic presentations that has been seen in Indio, California. On April 29 of that year and before an audience that did not know what to expect, Daft Punk blew the minds of thousands of people who gathered to see them at the Sahara Tent.
And it is that Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo left everyone speechless not only with the remixes that were released of their songs, but also with the visual show that included the iconic pyramid that later they took on their tour Alive. Without a doubt, this is one of the most important moments in Coachella history and it completely changed the way we look at electronic music shows.
Rage Agains the Machine reunited for Coachella 2007
As we already mentioned before, Rage Against the Machine was one of the bands that played in the first edition of the festival. However, they are also part of another important moment in Coachella history with their highly anticipated return in 2007 leaving everyone shocked to see them back on stage.
On that occasion, Zach de la Rocha, Tom Morello, Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk returned after almost seven years without playing together to break it up at Coachella, giving a powerful performance at Coachella 2007, which was full of musical hits like “Killing in the Name”, “Bulls on Parade” and “Testify”. It was simply a brutal show that will remain for posterity.
Roger Waters and Prince gave legendary shows at Coachella 2008
We didn’t want to pass up the opportunity to remember two music legends who broke it up at Coachella 2008. First, Roger Waters gave himself a spectacular presentation, where he played The Dark Side of the Moon completito, as well as other Pink Floyd classics with a staging which shocked everyone in Indio, California.
For his part, Prince did the same giving a great show of those where he played pure hits of his career at the festival, but he also covered other artists like The Beatles and Radiohead. And of course both performances must be among the most important moments in Coachella history, don’t you think?
Kanye West performs at Coachella 2011
Many may no longer swallow Kanye West (we understand perfectly), but being honest, we must accept that he marked a before and after in Coachella with the presentation that was thrown in 2011because it set the bar very high for the artists and bands that played at the festival in the following years.
On that occasion, Ye put on an incredible show where he was joined by dancers on stage and collaborators the size of Pusha-T or Bon Iver. And yes, we know that more impressive shows came later in Indio, California, but here she showed what he was capable of if given a space like this. He definitely should get in on the biggest moments in Coachella history.
Dr. Dre y Snoop Dogg “revivieron” a 2Pac para Coachella 2012
Undoubtedly, the Coachella 2012 lineup has been one of the best we’ve ever seen, as they put together a lineup headed by Radiohead, The Black Keys, Pulp, Arctic Monkeys and Noel Gallagher, just to name a few. However, everyone remembers that edition for the iconic presentation of Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg.
These hip-hop legends took to the main stage to play classic cigars alongside guests like Eminem, 50 Cent, Kendrick Lamar y Wiz Khalifa. But one of the biggest moments in Coachella history happened on this set, because Dre and Snoop “revived” 2Pac with a hologram of the legendary rapper who played three songs with them… simply epic.
Beyoncé was the first black woman to headline Coachella in 2018
We close this list with 10 of the most important moments in the history of Coachella mentioning the presentation of a woman who completely broke it on the main stage of the Empire Polo Club, in Indio, California. That’s right, we’re talking about Beyoncé, who became the first black woman to headline the festival.
After postponing her performance a year earlier due to her pregnancy, Beyoncé returned in 2018 and completely devoured the stage with a mind-blowing show where she was accompanied by a host of musicians and dancers onstage.. But he also had other moments that went down in history, like the Destiny’s Child reunion and their collaboration with Jay-Z.
