Frank Ocean drops out of Coachella Weekend 2, citing leg injury
Frank Ocean has canceled his Coachella Weekend 2 headlining performance.
“Frank Ocean will not be performing at weekend 2 of Coachella,” a representative for the singer told The Times on Wednesday, citing a leg injury and doctor’s advice for the cancellation.
For the gifted singer’s first concert since 2017, he ceded the stage for much of his set to a DJ and performed somewhat hidden inside a chamber.
“After suffering an injury to his leg on festival grounds in the week leading up to weekend 1, Frank Ocean was unable to perform the intended show but was still intent on performing, and in 72 hours, the show was reworked out of necessity,” the statement continued. “On doctor’s advice, Frank Ocean is not able to perform weekend 2 due to two fractures and a sprain in his left leg.”
The statement also included a message from Ocean. “It was chaotic. There is some beauty in chaos. It isn’t what I intended to show but I did enjoy being out there and I’ll see you soon,” he said.
Our critic agrees that Ocean’s much-reviled Coachella performance was a confused and confusing piece of art. But, he argues, that’s a good thing.
Ocean was scheduled to headline the fest on Sunday. Bad Bunny and Blackpink will top the bill on Friday and Saturday.
Ocean performed during the festival’s first weekend after an hourlong delay, delivering an intimate performance during which the livestream was cut and photography was banned. While some critics saw the set as a typically reserved performance from a complicated artist, fan backlash was widespread even among those eagerly anticipating Ocean’s first L.A.-area performance in five years.
On Tuesday’s installment of their podcast “Empty Netters,” brothers and former hockey players Chris and Dan Powers confirmed reports that a group of ice skaters were cut last minute from Ocean’s set. Ocean changed his stage production at the last minute to eliminate a planned skating rink onstage. During his set, he performed in a small, obscured alcove onstage surrounded by music equipment and circled by walking figures.
From boygenius’s joyful harmonies to Bad Bunny’s history lesson to Blackpink’s declaration of superstardom, it was a wild and rewarding Coachella.
Several outlets, including Spin, have reported that the reunited pop-punk trio Blink-182 will replace Ocean. Blink-182 performed as a last-minute addition to the Sahara Tent last weekend. Other sources familiar with promoter Goldenvoice’s plans say that EDM star Calvin Harris, who also performed last weekend, is another possible replacement.
Ocean’s dramatic departure between weekends marks the latest chaotic twist at the top of Coachella’s lineup over the last few years. Last year, Kanye West dropped out weeks before showtime; he was ultimately replaced by Swedish House Mafia and the Weeknd. Earlier that year, a planned Travis Scott headline gig was scotched following the fatal Astroworld catastrophe in 2021.
The festival’s second weekend runs Friday to Sunday at the Empire Polo Club in Indio. Tickets for Weekend 2 are still on sale on the festival’s main website. Before fees, general admission passes are currently priced at $549, general admission with a shuttle pass costs $599 and VIP passes are $1,069. Both car and tent camping passes are sold out, and Coachella has a no-refund policy in place for ticketholders.
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