Coachella 2023

Continued from Page 1 enthusiasts in their outlandish or “barely there” outfits.

More than 150 music acts from around the world performed in Indio on nine stages. Below is an overview of our experience.

Lewis OfMan - The French electronic musician, a collaborator on Carly Rae Jepsen’s recent hit “Move Me,” delved into house, drum and bass and Italian disco on his 2022 debut album Sonic Poems. Clad in a white jacket and partially transparent pants, Lewis OfMan proved to be quite a character while playing songs from it Friday in the Mojave Tent. The delightful, high-energy set saw him quickly switch between synth and keyboard on “Such a Good Day” (adding a snippet of Daft Punk’s “One More Time”), emerge from behind the instruments to do some pitch shifting vocals during “Dancy Girl” and then jog and shake his booty amid a festive “Las Banistas.” GP

Gabriels – Over at the Gobi Tent, this SoCal-based soul trio brought some spirituality to the desert. Lead singer Jacob Lusk - a top 5 American Idol finalist in 2011 - admitted to being nervous and advised people not to wear new shoes to a festival (no mention of his white suit though). Before doing a gospel song, he also urged the crowd to spread the love. Then Lusk was in full-on falsetto mode on the jazz-tinged “Professional” from Gabriels’ upcoming album and nicely segued into the Barbra Streisand-popularized “The Way We Were.” GP

BENEE – Talk about exuberant. The young New Zealand Tik Tok star pogoed as she sang rap-inflected alt-pop tunes like “Green Honda” and “Sports Mode” with attitude aplenty at a packed Mojave. GP

MUNA – Among several great LGBTQ+ artists this writer caught at the festival, the LA trio prompted loud cheers from the minute they took the stage to a large Mojave crowd. Scantily dressed lead singer Katie Gavin was a riveting presence as she traversed the stage and did bump ‘n’ grind moves during scintillating synth pop tunes like “What I Want” and “Number

One Fan.” The other members provided strong backing vocals during “Stay Away” (reminiscent of CHVRCHES) and a moodier

“Runner’s High” contained a NIN-style section. MUNA finished with enthusiastic hit “Silk Chiffon” with label boss Phoebe Bridgers of boygenius guesting. GP

Wet Leg — British indie rock duo Wet Leg (featuring singer-guitarists Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers) had a blast throughout their 40-minute late afternoon set Friday in the Mojave Tent. In fact, several times during the performance of “Too Late Now” Teasdale started laughing uncontrollably, obviously immersed in the moment. Wet Leg’s super catchy New Wave-flavored indie rock was performed with an infectious energy that had concertgoers packed in the tent moving and responding to invitations to sing along. The opener “Being in Love,” indie hit “Wet Dream” and ambitious “Obvious” (the latter with its Mazzy Star-flavored intro) were among the wonderful songs unleashed. Foo Fighters leader Dave Grohl even joined in the fun during “Ur Mum,” where he joined the band and crowd for an extremely loud and extended scream. During their closing hit “Chaise Lounge,” drummer Henry Holmes helped propel the favorite to new heights with his hard-hitting style. RK Burna Boy — Afro-fusion artist Burna Boy led a large ensemble of backing singers and musicians — including a great horn section — for an intoxicating Friday set on the Coachella Stage. The Nigerian artist and company artfully blended soul, reggae, R&B, and world music across a masterful set. He closed his 50-minute appearance with a moving take on the anthemic “Last Last.” RK Blondie – The influential 1970s pop/rock band fronted by a still feisty Debbie Harry, 77, drew an overflow crowd to Mojave. Launching with a supercharged “One Way or Another” - included on last year’s exceptional career spanning box set Against the Odds: 1974-1982 – the group hit all the bases on Friday night with such hits as “Rapture,”

“The Tide is High,” “Call Me” and “Heart of Glass.” GP Gorillaz – Those who caught the Damon Albarnfronted collective on the Coachella Stage on Friday were treated to a parade of bona fide surprises. Indeed, when Albarn declared early in the set that “Weekend 2 is better than Weekend 1,” he wasn’t kidding. Beck, Little Simz, Thundercat, Bootie Brown and Bad Bunny — were among the high-profile guests who made notable appearances during the