Under the baton of Gustavo Dudamel, the LA Phil became the first major orchestra to perform at Coachella, appearing at the Outdoor Theatre at sunset on both Saturdays—and inviting a few special guests to the stage to mark the occasion.
Weekend 1: Saturday, April 12
With excitement and hype high—Billboard called it “one of the weekend’s most anticipated moments”—Gustavo and the LA Phil took to the stage at 6:25pm, following a set by Japanese Breakfast (who performed at Walt Disney Concert Hall in 2023). Richard Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries” made for an attention-grabbing opener, and when Robert deMaine performed a passage from Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1, the crowd was so attentive you could hear a pin drop in the desert. Laufey joined the orchestra as the first special guest, performing new song “Silver Lining” and crowd favorite “From the Start,” while Maren Morris sang her song “My Church.” More Bach led into Becky G’s “Shower,” and John Williams’ mighty Imperial March introduced Ca7riel and Paco Amoroso’s high energy trio of songs.
With a buzz spreading around the festival grounds, the crowd at the Outdoor Theatre grew in size throughout the set. When the recognizable opening notes of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 chimed out, it drew a roar of approval from the crowd, which grew louder when Zedd appeared at the piano to perform “Clarity.” Chants of “Gustavo! Gustavo!” and “LA Phil! LA Phil!” rained onto the stage as Strauss’ Also Sprach Zarathustra introduced LL Cool J, who ran through a medley of his biggest hits, including a version of “Mama Said Knock You Out” backed by Stravinsky’s Firebird. As the crowd sang its approval, LL plopped a signature bucket hat on the head of a delighted Gustavo. It was a momentous, unforgettable 50 minutes of music, according to everyone from Variety to Rolling Stone, who called the LA Phil’s set one of the five best moments of the weekend.
Setlist
WAGNER “Ride of the Valkyries” from Die Walküre
BACH Cello Suite No. 1
Robert deMaine, cello
Laufey “From the Start”
Laufey “Silver Lining”
VIVALDI arr. Max RICHTER “Spring I” from The New Four Seasons – Vivaldi Recomposed
Bing Wang, violin
Maren Morris “My Church”
BACH Toccata and Fugue in D minor
Becky G “Shower”
John WILLIAMS The Imperial March from Star Wars
Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso “Dumbai”
Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso “La Que Puede, Puede”
BEETHOVEN Excerpt from Symphony No. 5
Zedd “Clarity”
STRAUSS Excerpt from Also sprach Zarathustra
LL Cool J, featuring Z Trip Medley of “Mama Said Knock You Out,” “I Need Love,” “The Force,” and “Rock the Bells”
STRAVINKSY Finale from The Firebird Suite
Weekend 2: Saturday, April 19
With the orchestra’s set from the first weekend drawing rave reviews from critics and mind-blown emojis from fans, expectations for the second weekend were high. A packed crowd made their way to the Outdoor Theatre and were rewarded with another set in which much-loved pieces from throughout the centuries were juxtaposed with appearances by special guests from around the world of music; people in the audience were nodding their heads to the beat of a 150-year-old Wagner piece as if it were a brand-new hit. Laufey returned for a second round with the orchestra in the desert, while Natasha Bedingfield also popped up to play her 2004 smash “Unwritten.”
Ca7riel and Paco Amoroso once again turned up the tempo for “Dumbai” and “La Que Puede, Puede,” before Beethoven’s Fifth led into the appearance of Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, who played "The Sky is a Neighborhood” and the band’s iconic “Everlong.” The weekend hit its crescendo with Cynthia Erivo joining the LA Phil for her new song “Brick By Brick,” then bringing the house down with Prince’s immortal “Purple Rain,” to the intense delight of the crowd. “Why the LA Phil was better than Travis Scott,” one TikToker posted after the show. We’re not sure about that, but we are sure that these were two incredibly special nights in the history of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and that we’ll never forget them.
Setlist
WAGNER “Ride of the Valkyries” from Die Walküre
BACH Cello Suite No. 1
Robert deMaine, cello
Laufey “From the Start”
Laufey “Silver Lining”
VIVALDI arr. Max RICHTER “Spring I” from The New Four Seasons – Vivaldi Recomposed
Bing Wang, violin
Natasha Bedingfield “Unwritten"
John WILLIAMS The Imperial March from Star Wars
Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso “Dumbai”
Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso “La Que Puede, Puede”
BEETHOVEN Excerpt from Symphony No. 5
Dave Grohl “The Sky Is a Neighborhood”
Dave Grohl “Everlong”
STRAUSS Excerpt from Also sprach Zarathustra
Cynthia Erivo “Brick by Brick”
Cynthia Erivo “Purple Rain”