Why Coachella Weekend 2 was Worth the Wait (No, We’re Not Just Coping)

From female powerhouse duos to generational icons, this year’s Weekend 2 performances will go down in history.

  • By: Amanda Coscarelli
Credit: Danielle Dernst

When it comes to Coachella, for as long as I can remember, all my friends can talk about is how getting passes for Weekend One is nonnegotiable. “I have passes for Weekend Two, but I need to sell them and upgrade to Weekend One,” they’d say. “Yeah, who wants to go to Weekend Two?” another would ask. I started to wonder, what is so bad about Weekend Two? The lack of influencers and celebrities? That’s a myth. Less notable guest appearances? Myth. Lack of grass? Okay you got me there.

If the second weekend of this year’s festival proved anything, it’s that Weekend Two is for the music. With guest appearances from undeniable icons like Madonna, Snoop Dogg, Big Sean and J Balvin, the sets were tighter and even more star studded than the preceding weekend. This year’s line up was actually so packed that influencers like James Charles showed up for a second round. Charles flew back out on a private jet and made a swift appearance on April 17 to recreate a historic fashion moment and witness Madonna live. And celebrities who experienced Weekend One from “bed-chella,” a term coined for those watching the YouTube live stream from bed, were convinced to attend Weekend Two in person. Billie Eilish was among a handful of notable celebrities in the audience. So this year, friends who were once hung up on ensuring they could witness the first installment of the festival were saying things like “I can’t believe I missed this. I should’ve gone to Weekend Two.” And I’m so grateful that I did. Let’s get into the details!

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Credit: Calder Wilson

There’s one moment we’ll be talking about for years to come. Sabrina Carpenter and Madonna made Coachella history when the two princesses of pop strutted down the catwalk, debuting the latter’s new single “I Feel So Free,” the first track on her new album CONFESSIONS II. If Sabrina’s set wasn’t legendary enough after Terry Crews performed “A Thousand Miles” by Vanessa Carlton (a call back to his famous scene in “White Chicks”), Madonna sealed the deal when she hit the stage wearing the same boots and corset she wore during her own Coachella set in 2006. The two also performed “Like a Prayer” and celebrated the first new moon of Taurus season in honor of Carpenter’s upcoming birthday.

Most of my friends who attended Weekend One were kicking themselves for missing this set. A few influencer friends who got tipped off about Madonna’s appearance got their hands on Weekend Two passes just in time. As for me, I got lucky, and sometimes that’s the gamble with Coachella. But if I learned anything, it’s that you shouldn’t be so quick to sell those Weekend Two passes, because you just might witness history.

The entire weekend was jam packed with female powerhouse duos that exceeded any expectations I had for the second installment of the festival. Addison Rae’s set on the main stage was right on brand. With an electricity that goes beyond the music, Rae owned the stage from the moment she walked out. So when Olivia Rodrigo joined her for a duet of “Headphones On”, the stage was supercharged with star power. They shared the stage as they harmonized both musically and fashionably, the duality of Rae’s spice and Rodrigo’s chic cementing the fact that a girl can do both and still own her power. Then, Rodrigo took the spotlight to debut her new song “Drop Dead” off her upcoming album.

Rodrigo proved herself yet again after receiving criticism that compared her to Carpenter, a fellow Disney Channel breakout star who also dated Rodrigo’s ex boyfriend Joshua Bassett. Despite their different styles of pop and their individual aesthetic identities, the two are often the center of “this or that” debates. But thanks to Rae, there was a world where we could have both. And rumor has it Rodrigo might headline in 2027, but those are just rumors for now.

Credit: Greg Noire

But back to this year’s headliners. After his Weekend One set, Justin Bieber received criticism for his lack of energy and his failure to prioritize the throwback hits that fans were looking forward to. During that set, he blue-balled the audience by singing half of his breakout hit “Baby,” while he focused most of his performance on his latest album, SWAG. I don’t know if it had anything to do with the criticism, but his energy during Weekend Two was contagious. He still focused the majority of his set on his newer work— something a true fan would never complain about— but his selection of throwbacks left Weekend One attendees feeling “ripped off” as one of my friend’s put it. Notably, he performed “One Less Lonely Girl”, during which he brought long-time fan Billie Eilish on stage for a full on serenade as tears rolled down her cheeks. It was a moment every Bieber fan has imagined for themself and one I’ll never forget.

But it didn’t stop. To add insult to injury, he brought out special guests and music legends Big Sean and Sza for separate duets. Safe to say my friends were sat for “couch-ella,” a term coined for those who watched the live stream on their couch, and green with envy.

On Sunday, Karol G’s set was loaded with latin music legends as she brought out not two, not three, but four different surprise guests. Throughout her set, she was joined by Becky G, Peso Pluma, J Balvin and Ryan Castro, proving that latin artists are not only dominating the music industry throughout the Americas, but are finally being received on the same scale in the United States. Now, she’s harnessing that star power to kick off her next era with her first tour in two years, which she announced at the end of her set.

Her performance marked the end of a weekend that was stacked full of surprise guests across all stages, including Teddy Swims and David Lee Roth performing Jump,” Sombr and Billy Idol performing “Eyes Without A Face”, Pink Panthress and Zara Larson performing “Stateside” and Giveon and Snoop Dogg performing “Beautiful”. With so many legends across all three days, I was able to knock a handful of artists off my bucket list. As we await the lineup for 2027, I’ll be reliving every moment through live streams on YouTube, and planning my dream guest appearances for next year’s Weekend Two. See you there!

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