Our Favorite Moments From Coachella 2023

Julian Bajsel for Coachella

On paper if you describe the process of going to a music festival to someone that has never been, you might get some weird looks. Trying to tell someone that the festival is worth it after describing the trials and tribulations of said festival is always a wacky conversation. Standing in lines, surviving the weather, spending money, fighting with crappy cell reception, the list of struggles of a music festival could be a recurring op-ed in any music publication around the world.

But in the end, we keep going back. And when we reminisce, the special moments we share are what we can’t stop talking about. The special moments are what we cite when trying to convince our friends to come to the desert to dance with us. The special moments are why we do it.

Skrillex, Four Tet, and Fred Again.. Present a Legendary Moment

Photo by Jasmine Safaeian for Coachella

A moment that wasn’t scheduled to happen. After Frank Ocean pulled out of Coachella’s Weekend 2 headlining spot the speculation immediately hit the internet of who would close out Weekend 2 of Coachella 2023. Rumors swirled on what act could take the responsibility on such short notice. Would Coachella just shuffle around the schedule? Would they call in some outside help? As the schedule for Weekend 2 made its rounds on Thursday afternoon fans noticed a couple of highlights on Sunday night – Blink 182 would be the penultimate act on the Coachella Stage on sunday followed by “tba.”

That TBA act was quickly discovered to be none other than Skrillex, Fred Again…, and Four Tet.

The second they took the smaller stage placed within the crowd (Built originally for Frank Ocean) the crowd seemed to take a deep breath, knowing that something special was coming. And we were right. We were treated to what was probably the most primal 90 minutes of the festival. The entire set from their walkout, to taking turns queuing up songs, to all laughing together felt like a scene from a basement after hours dj session.

Do you know how insane you have to be to close out Coachella with nothing but a few USB’s and a small idea of what songs you’re going to play? It was a perfect way to end Coachella amidst the chaos of having to find a new headliner. Enjoy the legendary moments.

[embedded content]

Snakehips Pulls off an Intimate Moment

Photo by @etranter

Everything about Coachella feels massive. From the crowds, to the production, to the festival grounds. It’s a massive, in-your-face festival But hidden throughout the grounds, if you look closely enough,  are intimate moments. These intimate moments are often the ones you remember the most, and the ones that you share with a select few people.

Snakehips had the pleasure of playing a TWO hour set at Coachella’s Heineken House. A two-hour may not seem overly long for a DJ set, but a two-hour set at Coachella is v rare. And they used every second of those two hours to their advantage.

At its heart, dance music is supposed to be fun, and this 2-hour session was the best proof of that. For 2 hours people made the choice to be crammed at Coachella’s smallest stage just to dance. Snakehips went through a good chunk of their discography and played tunes from their brand new debut album with ease while weaving in familiar tunes that EVERYONE knew the words to. Enjoy the intimate moments.

Dombresky With a Moment To Prepare

Photo Courtesy of Coachella

Being one of the first few sets to open the Sahara stage at Coachella can always be a daunting task. It’s primarily an EDM and hip-hop stage throughout the weekend and if people aren’t ‘warmed up’ or the sun is beating down it can be a tough set time to play.

But Dombresky took that challenge and knocked it out of the park. Dombresky played with the flow of energy absolutely perfectly during his set as the tent filled up. Dombresky’s patented love for disco served as the perfect introduction to many people’s weekends. The crescendos lining up perfectly with emotions as people experienced Coachella for the first time that weekend. A moment to warm up

Knock2 and Isoxo Present a Moment For The Future

Photo by @Brianngo

The Do Lab‘s Surprise headliners are always one of my highlights of Coachella. The list of surprise performers can vary so much. From artists already playing Coachella that will be playing another one to legendary acts, to artists making their Coachella debut. The Do Lab was absolutely blessed this year with performances from Knock2 and Isoxo on Friday and Saturday, respectively.

Their crowd control was absolutely insane and they did an incredible job of feeding off the crowd’s energy and giving it right back to everyone in the crowd tenfold. As the crowd grew for each of their performances, the energy from each performer grew, creating a beautiful symbiotic relationship.

Photo by Marlene Sanchez

 And if you were at either or both of these sets there was one thing that was made abundantly clear. These young producers are the future. To be part of their special moments after they both had extremely successful tours this past calendar year made us all feel like we were part of something special. A moment for the future. 

Jai Wolf with a Full Circle Moment

 Jai Wolf played his third and biggest Coachella in 2023. From his 2015 Do Lab set to his 2017 Gobi set, each performance has grown in production, professionalism, and overall spiritual feel that Jai Wolf sets bring.

Jai Wolf’s Coachella 2023 set brought a slew of unreleased music along with some familiar favorites. His set didn’t use much in terms of in-your-face production but instead took advantage of The Sahara’s stage MASSIVE video screen to take attendees on the journey that Jai Wolf carefully curated for Coachella. His wonderful visuals served as the perfect backdrop for the trip Jai Wolf was taking us. One look in the crowd and you could collect every emotion you would want to. A perfect example of ‘climbing’ the ladder and having a full circle moment.

STAY IN THE KNOW! FOLLOW US ON SPOTIFY

▲ ▲ Read More About Coachella Here ▲ ▲ 

Related Posts

Our Favorite Moments From Coachella 2023