INDIO—WOW! Where to start? Coachella and Stagecoach 2025 were so over the top, so incredibly satisfying, visually and to the ear that this was perhaps the greatest year ever for these two cultural institutions.
Lady Gaga kicked off Friday night of weekend one to the stifling three-digit heat. And with her “Mayhem” set, she was hotter than the weather enveloping the Indio Polo Grounds.
The colors, perfect dancing and choreography was stunning to say the least. Guest stars for her set included Queen Latifah, Victoria Monet, and Ciara.
On Saturday of weekend two Ed Sheeran could not fit everyone into the Mojave Tent who wanted to see him performed a great, stripped-down set that felt like just him and an acoustic guitar. Great last second add Goldenvoice.
Green Day as a headliner did everything a headliner should do. They rocked; they rolled and called out a young man from the audience who stole the show with his stellar guitar playing of the classic “Good Riddance.” And then on Sunday Megan Thee Stallion called out her surprise act and it was a winner-Billie Eilish.
For the next weekend of Coachella, it was more of the same except the weather. It was considerably cooler than week one, which was greatly appreciated by the festival concertgoers. The weather would stay nice and cool for the next weekend when then mostly honky tonk sounds of Stagecoach rolled into town.
Jon Pardi, Jellyroll and Luke Combs would headline, but there were certainly more memorable moments packed into this one weekend.
Backstreet Boys are back! They closed out the Sunday night and Stagecoach concert with the same excellence you would have expected decades ago. Other stellar performances included Dasha, the new country star with superstar written all over her.
Paris Hilton and Kate Hudson added an air of mystique and class to the event. So, the fire and ice of weekend one compared to the next two weekends were complete. All that needs to be said is bring on 2026!
