The American rock band Turnstile took the Outdoor Theatre stage once again for Coachella’s second and final weekend. As their electrifying set raged on, the group displayed a “Free Palestine” message on screen, which was met with immense applause from the audience.
They’re no strangers to using their platform and influence to speak out against various issues. The band took home two Grammys earlier this year for Best Rock Album (for their 2025 release NEVER ENOUGH) and Best Metal Performance (for their track “BIRDS”). In an Instagram post celebrating their wins, the band’s caption reads: “We’re existing in a time of heightened state violence. We are watching people be pushed out of their homes here in America, in Palestine, in Sudan, in Iran, everywhere, as if they don’t belong to them. As if we don’t belong to each other. Music is a vehicle for voices that are buried, that are searching, that are alien. Turnstile has always existed as an alien thing.”
Other examples include them yelling out “Free Palestine” into the crowd during their performances at the Glastonbury Festival last summer.
Turnstile aren’t the only artists who have used the Coachella stage for activism in these past two weeks. Karly Hartzman, the lead singer of Wednesday, yelled “Fuck ICE” and “Free Palestine” near the end of their Weekend 1 Coachella performance a week ago.
Photo credit: Raymond Flotat
Leave a Comment