Kanye West is bringing his Sunday Service to the Coachella grounds on Easter morning
Has Kanye West ditched the red MAGA hat in favor of his white-suited Sunday best? Only God and West know.
But second weekend Coachella attendees have been blessed (cursed?) with the opportunity to learn for themselves when the rapper takes to the pulpit for Kanye West’s Sunday Service, an Easter Sunday performance that will occur “in a little campground” on April 21 at the ungodly hour of 9 a.m.
“The confirmation was confirmed last night,” West said of the service in a clip issued Sunday by Coachella’s official Twitter account. In it, he’s dressed in white and surrounded by dozens of singers and musicians as he speaks into a microphone. Behind him, Sermon on the Mount-esque greenery offers living evidence of his grace.
The video was shot in Calabasas, where West lives with his family. Recently, the Grammy-winning, chart-topping artist has been hosting musicians for a weekly Sunday Service at his home. The artist, who last year in a meeting with President Trump wore a Make America Great Again hat while telling him that it “made me feel like Superman,” described in the video the setting for the Easter event.
“He had a mountain waiting for us,” West said, and it was unclear whether he was referring to the Lord or Goldenvoice President Paul Tollett. “He had a date waiting for us. Only one date that that mountain would be available: Easter Sunday at Coachella.”
As West spoke the news, one participant replied with a sanctified “wow.”
In less beatific terms, the news has consequences for that weekend’s festival-goers, especially fans of Ariana Grande. The superstar will close out the festival both weekends with a Sunday headlining set. With a midnight shut-down time, that means West will be making attendees commit to a 15-hour Sunday, or ferry to and from the fest twice in the same day.
Still, even skeptics know that West’s turn toward God isn’t manufactured. He’s long wrestled with religion and sought solace in spirituality, most famously in “Jesus Walks.”
As he told Vibe magazine in 2009, ‘I just think God has put me in a really good space. And I think he has a mission for me. There’s gonna be ups and downs. But it’s something that he wants me to deliver to the world.”
That’s great — but does it have to be at 9 a.m. Sunday?
For tips, records, snapshots and stories on Los Angeles music culture, follow Randall Roberts on Twitter and Instagram: @liledit. Email: [email protected].
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