They released them together, then gave him up on stage for a huge, tight mix of his songs, from world smash hits like “Blinding Lights”, “I Can’t Feel My Face” and “Starboy” to his poetry in high-profile collaborations like his songs with Kanye West, Drake, Future, Ty Dolla $ign (who were not present), “Hurricane”, “Crew Love”, “Low Life” and “Or Nah” respectively. However, the man known as Abel Tesfaye is nothing if not up for a challenge, and he didn’t disappoint as he wrapped up the co-starring festival, which was set for late Sunday night (actually Monday morning).ĭescribed as “Swedish House Mafia x the Weeknd”, the group was essentially split in half, with the former opening and roaring through a tight repertoire of their own, then briefly performing with The Weeknd for a few more recent songs.
In no time, The Weeknd-still deep in the work on his co-produced, co-produced and co-stars HBO series “The Idol”-has agreed to elevate his pre-planned short appearance with the EDEM Titans to a headlining spot with theirs, But he only had two weeks to put together a set. To find the stories you want to read, and more, in your inbox, click here.As if it didn’t take long to get to the 21st installment of Coachella – what with the pandemic, four postponements and another new rise for Covid – when Kanye West’s original Sunday headlines pulled out two weeks ago, Swedish House Mafia had to transform their vaguely defined position On the lineup to a group of addresses.
Next time you cancel a show, Kanye, give everyone a bit more warning, why don’t you?įrom news to politics, travel to sport, culture to climate – The Independent has a host of free newsletters to suit your interests. Simplicity definitely suits him, but it still seems as though it’s missing a certain headliner flair. In what is a typically stripped-back show, The Weeknd relies on his own starpower to hold the audience’s attention, rather than props or dazzling laser displays. As Swedish House Mafia finally slink off stage, however, he settles into the swing of things, unleashing the Eighties-indebted power-pop of “Blinding Lights”. The trio remain onstage for a somewhat forced “I Can’t Feel My Face”, where The Weeknd sounds like he’s singing against the instrumentation, rather than gliding across it. Wearing a simple black shirt and with gloved hands (no heavy facial prosthetics tonight), he’s forced to shout over Swedish House Mafia’s backing noise. The main question now is, when and how does Abel Tesfaye – aka The Weeknd – work his way into the equation?Īfter almost an hour, fans have their answer, as The Weeknd walks onstage for a rendition of “Sacrifice”. Fireworks light up the Indio sky, presumably because looking at three middle-aged blokes nodding away behind a desk isn’t terribly captivating.
Their relentless beats come thick and fast, as pumpingly energetic and anonymous as a spin-class soundtrack. “Ladies and gentleman, allow us to reintroduce ourselves,” booms Axwell, before introducing Sebastian Ingrosso and Steve Angello. Under a round circular stage resembling a giant Polo mint (that’s a Lifesaver to American readers), it’s Swedish House Mafia who kick off proceedings. Thanks to the ongoing success of 2020’s “Blinding Lights”, he’s also one of the biggest artists on the planet – which couldn’t hurt the festival’s credibility.įor an event that usually runs like clockwork, a 35-minute delay for the double headliner set is less-than-auspicious. He collaborated with the group on last year’s “Moth To A Flame”, as well as this year’s “Sacrifice (Remix)”. Like Swedish House Mafia – and Doja Cat, who performed before them – The Weeknd is managed by Wassim “Sal” Slaiby. It’s safe to assume that the Canadian pop star was first choice. But to make it seem as though they hadn’t just lazily bumped up an already-booked act, it made sense for organisers to sprinkle some more star power over the relatively faceless European DJ trio. Returning EDM giants Swedish House Mafia were already on the Coachella lineup, with a promised late-night comeback show after their 2013 split and 2019 reformation. In the end, however, the solution was simple. Thirteen days ago, Kanye West – who had long been booked as the Sunday night headliner – revealed he was dropping out, leaving promoters to scrabble around for a worthy replacement at the last minute. The road to Coachella’s closing set has been a bumpy one.