INDIO, United States — Revelers in thong
bodysuits, glitter eyeshadow, and sheathed in neon gathered Friday in the
California desert as the first Coachella since the pandemic’s onset got
underway.
اضافة اعلان
Brazil’s Anitta was a showstopper who thrilled
crowds after bringing Snoop Dogg and Saweetie onstage, ahead of a
much-anticipated debut headlining performance from pop royalty Harry Styles.
The mammoth event that takes place over two
three-day weekends is widely considered one of the world’s most-watched
festivals, and traditionally kicks off the year’s summer concert circuit.
Fans hold Brazilian flags as Brazilian singer Anitta performs during the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California, on April 15, 2022.
Coachella’s 2020 edition was scrapped as the
coronavirus pandemic came into full force, and two years of chaotic
cancellations, rescheduled shows and lineup shakeups ensued.
As it returns after a three-year hiatus,
Coachella is a bellwether for the multi-billion-dollar touring industry that’s still on
shaky ground after persistent pandemic setbacks.
After other large-scale festivals including
Lollapalooza last year required proof of vaccination or a negative
COVID-19 result, Coachella this winter announced it would not require any such
mitigation measures, including masks or social distancing.
But it comes amid an uptick in coronavirus cases
nationwide, mostly due to the highly transmissible
Omicron subvariant, known as
BA.2.
Friday saw temperatures climb and as festival-goers
descended on the grounds for three days of partying, contracting coronavirus
seemed back of mind.
“Look at this!” Sarah Jones, a 26-year-old from
Oregon, told AFP.
“We just want to have fun; I don’t want to think
about (coronavirus) tonight.”
‘Everybody misses this’
The festival is held mostly outside, welcoming some 125,000 revelers
daily from all over the nation and abroad, many of whom camp and fill up hotels
nearby.
There will be two
virus testing sites on festival grounds.
Jose Arballo — a senior public
information representative for the public health department of Riverside
County, where Coachella takes place — said there also would be bolstered
testing facilities nearby.
“I’m super
excited to be here,” said one concert-goer identified as Saturn Risin9, who
said they were ageless and had traveled from Los Angeles.
“I’m not scared, and I’m excited to be outside with
people.”
As the sun set and the fresh grass gave way to
stomped-down dust, the desert’s night owls came out for the first night of revelry.
“It’s amazing!” said Alexa Davis, a 24-year-old
Connecticut native told AFP as she joined the throng to dance along to Anitta.
The 29-year-old Anitta made history earlier this
year as she became the first Brazilian to reach the world’s number one spot on
Spotify.
She commanded Coachella’s main stage, whose set
featured imagery replicating a Rio de Janeiro favela, opening with the intro of
“Mais Que Nada” as California favorite Snoop Dogg joined her.
During a set that saw her jump seamlessly between Portuguese,
English and Spanish, Anitta later launched into her booty-grinding reggaeton
hit “Envolver,” the masses joining in the rhythm.
“Our culture is getting noticed ... Latinas are also
reaching the top of the global scene,” Anitta told AFP in an interview last
month. “I plan to keep making songs for every part of the world. Including in
Portuguese, of course.”
Other major acts playing sets at Coachella this
weekend include
Megan Thee Stallion, Phoebe Bridgers, and Doja Cat.
After Styles Friday, Billie Eilish is set to
headline Saturday and The Weekend will collaborate with Swedish House Mafia to
helm Sunday.
The duet act was an 11th-hour addition after chaos
agent Kanye West unceremoniously pulled out of his headliner spot mere weeks
ago.
Travis Scott also dropped out after a deadly concert
stampede at his Astroworld show in Houston last year, while 2020’s anticipated
headliner Frank Ocean is set to return to the desert in 2023.
Stromae is set to play, as is Palestinian
DJ Sama’ Abdulhadi and South Africa’s Black Coffee, who made Grammy history last week
after winning a Grammy for Best Dance/Electronic Album, the first African act
to do so.
In a last-minute surprise,
Arcade Fire played a set
Friday evening — while rap duo City Girls set off a heated audience twerk-off
during a rendition of their 2021 hit “Twerkulator.
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