With the grass already worn down by the weekend one influencers, celebrities and regular festival goers, weekend two of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival 2025 promises even more excitement and fantastic performances from artists such as The Marias, Benson Boone, LISA from BLACKPINK, Missy Elliot and Friday headliner, Lady Gaga. The weather for weekend two was exceptionally cooler, the wind was slightly stronger, but the vibes were still incredible for day one. 

Glixen
One of the earliest sets of the day was the alt-rock band from Phoenix, Arizona, Glixen. The woman-fronted act had gnarly guitars, driving bass, and a rather nostalgic, early 2000s vibe to their sound. The vocals were a bit low in mix, but overall, Glixen were a fantastic set to catch in the Sonora Tent. 

Ravyn Lenae
Slotted for an early set, the R&B singer/songwriter from Chicago, Ravyn Lenae, brought plenty of sensual grooves to the Mojave Stage. Playing a handful of songs off of her latest album, Bird’s Eye, Lenae’s infectious vocals shined brighter than the Coachella sun as her backing band laid down powerfully smooth instrumentations. Tracks like “Dream Girl” and “One Wish” demonstrate Lenae’s ability to capture dreamy and catchy melodies over sugary, atmospheric beats. With Lenae’s lavish red hair and sugary sweet vocals, this was the perfect set to sway along to. 

julie
The trio from Orange County, julie, put on a fantastic performance of shoegaze, slacker rock. They had plenty of youthful energy with thumping bass, the drums were crisp, and the vocals were drowning, but in a stylistic way. Even with a short 40-minute set, julie was able to pack a powerful punch in such a short amount of time. 

The Go-Go’s 
The legendary all-woman rock band from the late 70’s/80’s, The Go-Go’s took to the Outdoor Theatre stage and absolutely crushed it. With their signature surf rock, glitzy sound, The Go-Go’s were a fun and colorful time. Massive hits such as “Vacation” and “We Got the Beat” (mashed up with a small bit of Chappell Roan’s “HOT TO GO!” were undeniable crowd-pleasers. 

Djo
Djo, the moody, indie pop music project fronted by Stranger Things actor, Joe Keery, had a chill set at the Mojave Stage as the sun was coming down. Filled to the brim with silky, reverb-drenched guitars, Djo put on a mellow performance perfect to vibe out to or take a breather on the grass in the back of the crowd. The big hit “End of Beginning” was saved towards the end of the set but provided for a big singalong moment. 

KNEECAP
One of the most exciting sets of the entire day belonged to Irish hip-hop trio, KNEECAP. The Sonora Tent was packed as people kept trying to get in to witness the magic of the band. Wrapped in abrasive, breakneck beats and heavy electronic elements, KNEECAP incorporate many different sounds into their music while also writing revolutionary lyrics and standing their ground on the politics they believe in. They tend to voice their opinion so much so that their livestream was cut off during weekend one due to a speech poking fun at the fact that former Prime Minister of United Kingdom, Margaret Thatcher is dead and starting a “Maggie’s in a box” chant. The last song of the set was the explosive “H.O.O.D.” as the message on the screen behind them said, “Fuck Israel, Free Palestine.” KNEECAP are a group who are not afraid to use their platform to speak their minds, even if it is against the powers at be. 

Benson Boone
At the main stage, Benson Boone put on his best Freddie Mercury impression with his tight fitting outfit, his little mustache, and his grander-than-life vocals. Although relentlessly talented as a vocalist and an overall performer, there is something about Boone that seems to lack any true substance. Even during weekend one’s performance of “Bohemian Rhapsody” with Queen guitarist, Brian May, it still felt a bit forced trying to fit into the mold. But even if Benson Boone isn’t your cup of tea, his backing band was incredibly strong and provided plenty of room for Boone to highlight his singing abilities. 

LISA
BLACKPINK member and star of the new season of The White Lotus, LISA, put on an explosive and rather theatrical performance at the Sahara Stage. There was a huge turnout for her performance with plenty of dedicated K-pop followers. This felt like a headlining performance with all the outfit changes, the powerful backing band, the choreography, and LISA’s cute but intense stage presence. A few highlights from the set included “New Woman” and “FXCK UP THE WORLD.” 

The Marías
At the Outdoor theatre, the indie pop band from Los Angeles, The Marías, played a very dreamy, and almost soul-cleansing set. Lead singer María Zardoya’s lead vocals are tender, sweet and so intimate that it sounds like she’s singing every song specifically to you. The rest of the band provide plenty of life to each song with the silky guitars, rumbling bass and precise drums. With a splash of soft blue lighting over the stage, they performed a majority of the tracks from their latest record, Submarine, including “Paranoia” and the funky “Run Your Mouth.” A few highlights from the entire set was their cover of “Lovefool” by The Cardigans into their song, “Care for You” and the song they did originally with Bad Bunny, “Otro atardecer.” 

SPEED
One of my personally most anticipated sets of the entire weekend was from Sydney, Australian hardcore band, SPEED, and they did not disappoint. Their sound was abrasive, heavy, but at the same time, the energy was extremely positive and all about love. From watching the crowd, it was easy to forget you were at Coachella. It felt like you were at a hardcore show in a random warehouse in downtown LA. There was moshing, crowd surfing, any movement that helped get all of the pent up aggression and negative energy out of the body. Aside from the screeching guitars, pounding drums and occasional record scratch, the instrumental highlight was seeing lead singer, Jem Siow bust out a tasty lick on the flute on “THE FIRST TEST.” 

Missy Elliott
One of the most iconic artists on the entire Coachella lineup this year was Missy Elliott. With her unique style, her larger than life attitude, her ambitious stage presence, Missy Elliott is the blueprint for so many rappers today. Artists from Lil Wayne to Lizzo have all praised Elliott for paving the way for their careers and art, and this main stage performance only proves that Missy Elliott still has plenty of gas in the tank. 

Displaying her otherworldliness, Missy Elliott displayed visuals of spaceships and futuristic looking costumes. There were tons of back up dancers, pyrotechnics, all the essentials that one would need to deliver an incredible main stage act at Coachella. Elliott ran through hit after hit such as “Get Ur Freak On,” “Work it,” and the finale, “Lose Control.” Having the hip-hop legend Missy Elliott grace the Coachella stage served as a celebration of her incredible career while also showcasing exactly what it should take to perform at a festival of this magnitude.

The Prodigy 
The breakneck, electronic big beat group from Essex, The Prodigy was absolutely on fire closing out the Mojave Stage. “We didn’t come here to fuck around,” vocalist Maxim exclaimed to the crowd. With heavy guitar riffs, in-your-face drum beats, and abrasive vocals, The Prodigy brought rumbling, headbanging electronic music back to the desert with an insane, hypnotizing light show to match. They closed with a truncated version of their legendary track “Out of Space.”

Lady Gaga
Closing out the mainstage was the singer/songwriter, actor, Grammy Award winning artist, Lady Gaga. From The Fame to Chromatica, Lady Gaga has had many iconic eras, memorable music videos, rather peculiar fashion statements, and of course, massive pop hits. This Coachella set felt like Gaga going back to her roots, celebrating all of the different eras of her discography while also treading forward into her new album cycle, Mayhem. 

As one could have predicted, this Lady Gaga set was extremely theatrical with wardrobe changes, backup dancers, a choir, a gothic stage design, all under the umbrella of a night out at the opera. There has always been a slightly dark undertone to Gaga’s pop music, but this performance heightened all these aesthetics, channeling her inner “monster.” The set opened with an alternative version of “Bloody Mary” and then heading right into one of her newest singles, “Abracadabra” with slight technical difficulties. The kinks were straightened out very quickly. But just from the first two songs, it’s apparent that Gaga is a true performer, hitting the choreography perfectly while not missing a single note. 

Gaga’s storytelling through her art is unmatched. Whether it’s the symbolic death of the old version of Gaga, the chess board dance battle during “Poker Face,” or the incredibly moving performance of “Shallow” from the film A Star Is Born she starred in alongside Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga knows how to capture an audience through song and dance. There were many highlights during this performance, but a few stand out tracks from the new album included the funky “Killah,” the rocking “Perfect Celebrity,” and the triumphant “Vanish Into You.” The final song of the night was the incomparable “Bad Romance,” and it felt like the perfect send off displaying Gaga’s vocal range and true artistry throughout the years. 

With day one in the books, day two will include sets from Charli XCX, Green Day, The Misfits and Travis Scott.

Lady Gaga Setlist
Bloody Mary
Abracadabra
Judas
Scheiße
Garden of Eden
Poker Face
Perfect Celebrity
Disease
Paparazzi
Alejandro
The Beast
Killah
Zombieboy
Die With a Smile
How Bad Do U Want Me
Shadow of a Man
Born This Way
Shallow
Vanish Into You

-Encore-
Bad Romance