Ed. Note: Head here to find our complete coverage of Coachella 2022.
The desert can be a magical place—and each April, thousands pile into the Mojave in California for an experience that consistently delivers on its magical promise. So, after two years away, numerous cancellations and last minute bookings, and a sense of unease about music festivals in the COVID age, Coachella had even bigger shoes to fill in 2022.
Luckily, it’s easy to put your faith in Coachella—after all, this is a festival that swings for the fences with its lineup, features, and overall festival experience, and they rarely miss. There were certainly elements of this festival that felt unique to 2022, like giving out NFTs to pass holders and featuring the largest percentage of TikTok hits in the festival’s history, but Coachella is always emphatically consistent.
As usual, YouTube hosted streams of dozens of incredible Coachella performances in real time, so those who were looking to see Harry Styles debut new music, BROCKHAMPTON play one of their final shows ever, and Danny Elfman perform songs from Nightmare Before Christmas were in for a treat. There was also Arcade Fire’s surprise set, Billie Eilish’s mainstage victory lap, and Swedish House Mafia and The Weeknd’s ecstatic performance.
These are just a few examples of unmissable moments, and they were scattered throughout the festival grounds each day—including special guest appearances from Shania Twain, Damon Albarn, Beck, and Justin Bieber.
But the livestream can only capture so much, so Consequence headed out to the desert to experience the fest firsthand. Coachella truly has a one-of-a-kind environment, and the celebration from both artists and attendees was definitely one of the best in recent years. In short, it’s good to be back.
Here are some of the moments you may have missed if you weren’t on the ground.
