This past weekend in Southern California, the Coachella Valley Music and Art Festival began with spectacular performances from new and emerging artists. No matter the musical performance or performer, the Coachella crowd was booming with excitement.

Headlining the first night of 2025 Coachella, Lady Gaga combined her modern pop era with a theatrical production. Her performance, titled The Art of Personal Chaos, told the story of her rise to fame through four enthralling acts. She performed songs from The Fame era to A Star Is Born to her newest album, Mayhem. Gaga’s set design was covered in gothic castles and numerous statues, such as skeletons and gargoyles. She paired this set with many costume changes and exciting choreography. Gaga’s two-hour dramatic performance kept fans alive in the middle of the desert while setting the enthusiastic tone for the rest of weekend one of Coachella.

Also in attendance on Friday was Coachella debut Benson Boone. He performed a mix of his biggest hits, such as “Slow It Down” and “Beautiful Things”. Boone also paid tribute to Freddie Mercury and the iconic band Queen by playing “Bohemian Rhapsody” with Brian May, the guitarist for Queen. Finally, Boone announced his new album American Heart, and its release date is set for June 20, 2025.

One of the biggest performances on Saturday was the British pop star Charli XCX. Charli set fire to the pop industry with the release of her latest album, Brat, on June 7, 2024. Brat became a TikTok sensation with the viral phrase “Brat Summer” spreading across the media. On stage, Charli’s performances were filled with good vibes and intense strobe lights. But what truly made the crowd ecstatic was the appearances from three pop artists with whom Charli collaborated on her remix album Brat and It’s Completely Different but Also Still Brat. First, Troye Sivan reunited with Charli to perform “Talk Talk”, for they worked together during the 2024 Sweat Tour. Next, Charli sang “Girl, So Confusing” with the collaboration and appearance of Lorde. The last artist to join Charli on stage was Billie Eilish, and the two performed an electric “GUESS” with rave-inspired flashing lights. Charli left fans screaming nonstop for about an hour after an incredible performance.

On Saturday, the iconic Green Day performed on the main stage in an outstanding production. The band sang cultural classics such as “21 Guns”, “American Idiot”, and “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”. Green Day also addressed serious and political issues by changing the lyrics of a few of their songs.

After Green Day’s performance, Travis Scott closed out the second night of Coachella. For the majority of his performance, Scott’s set was on an elevated, circular stage in the middle of the Coachella crowd, then ended his production on the main stage. During this late-night rager, Scott sang some of his greatest songs like “FE!N” and “Highest in the Room”. Despite being 20 minutes late for the performance, fans were very excited for his set.

After many incredible sets and productions, weekend one of Coachella set high expectations for the second weekend, which will have the same artists and headliners perform. Crowds are excited to experience another three days of musical performances the following weekend in the California heat.