Coachella 2025’s First Weekend: All-Stars, Politics, and Fashion

Image source: DJ Mag

Coachella 2025’s first weekend was held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, this past weekend, bringing together big-name performances, striking politics, and trendy fashion.
​by Emery Brown

Coachella 2025’s first weekend was held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, this past weekend, bringing together big-name performances, striking politics, and trendy fashion.

The festival was headlined by Lady Gaga, Green Day, Post Malone, and Travis Scott, who all performed incredibly. Notably, Gaga performed her hit “Judas,” which hasn’t happened since 2011, giving the Coachella crowd a rare treat. Furthermore, Green Day marks the first time a rock band has been a headliner since the pandemic.

Other notable performances include Charli XCX’s set, which saw surprise appearances by Billie Eilish, Lorde, and Troy Sivan, drawing one of the densest crowds of the whole festival. Additionally, Weezer shocked the crowd by covering Metallica’s “Enter Sandman.” Possibly the most unusual set of the weekend was that of children’s icon Yo Gabba Gabba!, who brought out talents such as Thundercat, Flavor Flav, and “Weird Al” Yankovic to perform iconic hits such as “Party in My Tummy.”

Many legendary artists returned to the spotlight for Coachella. During Benson Boone’s incredible rendition of Queen’s historic track “Bohemian Rhapsody,” original Queen guitarist Brian May entered onstage, guitar in hand. Similarly, all original members of the iconic punk band The Misfits performed together for the first time in many years, sounding great considering that all members are over sixty years old. Interestingly, the crowd for these two sets was noticeably calm and unenthusiastic, something Boone pointed out on his TikTok page.
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Similar to most things in this day and age, Coachella wasn’t without its political moments. Green Day, an outspoken critic of right-wing politics and the Trump Administration, changed the lyrics of one of their songs to push a political message, something that the band has done many times before. This time, frontman Billie Joe Armstrong changes the lyrics of “Jesus of Suburbia” from "runnin' away from pain when you've been victimized" to "runnin' away from pain like the kids from Palestine,” a comment on the war between Israel and Palestine that has intensified in recent years.

(Image source: Stereogum)

In a more unusual surprise appearance at a music festival, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, an outspoken Democrat, appeared before Clairo’s set to criticize the Trump Administration to roaring applause, repeating his various viewpoints and claiming, “. . . the future of what happens to America is dependent upon your generation.” (via CNN)

As in years past, Coachella served as a hub for celebrity fashion. Lady Gaga donned a variety of bold outfits during her set, including a large red dress and metallic armor. K-Pop supergroup Blackpink’s Lisa performed in a glowing electric-blue costume featuring butterfly motifs. LL Cool J performed in an entirely mustard-yellow getup, Shaboozey donned a red, white, and blue embroidered suit with hints of cowboy flair, and of course, you can’t forget Bernie Sanders’ standard navy blue blazer.

As the festival continues this upcoming weekend, who knows what else will happen? What do the artists have in store? What other surprise guests will show up? What other political dramas will occur? We’ll just have to wait, but one thing remains certain: There’s no denying Coachella’s pull on popular culture.