Coachella’s guest performances, ranked from best to worst (2024)

BILLIE EILISH AND LANA DEL REY

Sitting together on an ornate balcony, Billie and Lana performed “Video Games” and “Ocean Eyes” (the lead single from Billie’s debut EP). What made this so memorable was the affection and respect they clearly have for one another – Billie, on the record as a Lana stan, was grinning from ear to ear the whole way through, and at one point declared to the audience, “This is the reason for half you bitches’ existence, including mine.” Lana, for her part, described Billie as “the voice of your generation, the voice of our generation”, and said she was “so f*cking grateful” to have her on stage. Two beautiful, talented women from different generations supporting each other and having a laugh… it’s just nice!

SKY FERREIRA AND KEVIN ABSTRACT

Sky Ferreira made a surprise appearance at the beginning of Kevin Abstract’s set on Saturday, performing a cover of the 2010 country classic “Need You Now” by Lady A. Wearing a leather jacket and sunglasses, she looked great and sounded even better. It was a transcendent performance which proved that, however her career has been thwarted over the last ten years, Ferreira remains a star.

TYLER, THE CREATOR AND JUST ABOUT EVERYONE

Some of the guest appearances across the festival verged on the gimmicky, but Tyler, The Creator opted for a more credible, music-orientated approach. During his headline set on Saturday night, he brought out some of the biggest names in hip-hop and R&B, including A$AP Rocky, Childish Gambino, Kali Uchis and Charlie Wilson, the former vocalist of The Gap Band and a legendary figure within the world of R&B and funk. Which is cool, but maybe he should have brought out the guy who wrote The Big Bang Theory or the dog from Marley and Me?

RENEÉ RAPP, KESHA, AND THE L WORD CAST

On Sunday, Reneé Rapp was joined by surprise guest Kesha to perform “TiK ToK” – younger readers will struggle to believe me, but this was a smash hit song back in 2010 and it had nothing to do with the Chinese video-editing app we know and love today. In other respects, Kesha’s break-out single wasn’t so prescient – few lines have aged worse in the current moment than “wake up in the morning feeling like P Diddy” – but she got around this on Sunday by changing the lyrics to “wake up in the morning like ‘f*ck P Diddy’” (in reference to the recent sex trafficking allegations against the hip-hop mogul) and raising her middle finger in the air.

Kesha wasn’t the only surprise cast that Reneé brought out: she was introduced by the cast and the creator of her favourite show The L Word, a cult 00s-era drama about a group of lesbian and bisexual women in LA.

WILL SMITH AND J BALVIN

From Paris Hilton to The L Word, it was a weekend of 00s nostalgia, but J Balvin looked back to the previous decade: during his set on Sunday night, Will Smith took to the stage – in a black suit and sunglasses – to perform the title track of Men in Black (1997). The set ended with Balvin being dragged off stage by dancers in black suits, while Smith pulled out the memory-erasing device that his character uses in the film.

VAMPIRE WEEKEND AND PARIS HILTON

During Vampire Weekend’s set, Paris Hilton took to the stage to play “cornball” – a lawn game which involves throwing bean bags at a board. This felt a bit pointless, like the kind of “celebrity appearance” a former Love Island star would make at a nightclub in Reading. By being so rooted in late 00s millennial culture, it was also a stark, haunting reminder of the passing of time and the inevitability of death.