INDIO— Weekend two of the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, in the exquisite backdrop of Indio held from Friday, April thru Sunday, April 23 was far more thrilling than week one. A true sense of Rock ‘N Roll resiliency prevailed, as Sunday headliner Frank Ocean dropped out due to a leg injury.

Thankfully, the show was saved by Blink-182, who closed out the 2023 edition of Coachella with an energetic and incredible sounding set. Performing on the main stage on Sunday night the band was simply electrifying. It was their first performance with the classic lineup since DeLonge departed the band in 2015.

Although the set list was almost the same as Weekend 1, one of the major differences between that performance and weekend 2 was the power of the Coachella Stage’s video production capabilities.

The band was able to feature more colorful visuals, an impressive light show and more pyrotechnics on the bigger, open-air stage.

Every headlining set needs an epic ending and Blink-182 finished with “All The Small Things” and “Dammit.” The bandmates kept their closing simple and thanked the crowd.

It was the first time a band from the ’90s headlined the festival since Radiohead in 2017. Rock music has slowly disappeared from the lineup over the past decade as pop, rap and electronic music artists have drawn larger crowds and became headliners.

The punk and hard rock roots of Coachella promoter Goldenvoice Productions showed through. This created a nostalgic feel and made for a festive atmosphere.

So at this year’s edition of Coachella, a fan could chart a full weekend of rock-oriented music, bouncing between stages to find Blink-182, Björk, Blondie, The Breeders, Gorillaz, Boygenius, Wet Leg, Fousheé, and many others.

Gorillaz returned to the main stage on Friday night, April 21 for a second weekend performance.They celebrated a career-spanning set by bringing out a number of guests, including a face mask–wearing Bad Bunny for “Tormenta,” Beck on “The Valley of the Pagans,” Yasiin Bey for “Sweepstakes,” and Little Simz on “Garage Palace.”

Blondie drew an excited, overflowed crowd of young and old to the Mojave tent, minus ailing guitarist/co-founder Chris Stein, but augmented by former Sex Pistol Glen Matlock on bass. Chic guitarist (and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer) Nile Rodgers joined the band for a stretched-out, funked-up “Rapture.”

The K-pop superstars Blackpink headlined on Saturday night. Blackpink also headlined Coachella in 2019.

The desert’s favorite pool party series the Day Club returned this April to the Hilton Palm Springs. The pool party featuring DJ’s was the perfect place to escape the heat from the concert.

Overall, it was an eclectic and exciting weekend in the desert. Two festivals down, one to go. Stagecoach returns this weekend to Indio for a chance for the older crowd to kick up their boots. But for these two weekends, Coachella and Indio was the center of the fashion and music universe.