Frank Ocean Steps Down As Headliner for Coachella Weekend 2 Amid His Performance Drama
The show must go on. Frank Ocean will no longer headline the final weekend of Coachella after his polarizing first performance the week prior.
“Frank Ocean will not be performing at weekend two of Coachella,” the “Novacane” singer’s rep said in a statement to Variety on Wednesday, April 19. “After suffering an injury to his leg on festival grounds in the week leading up to weekend one, 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, [Ocean] is not able to perform weekend two due to two fractures and a sprain in his left leg.”
Ocean, 35, made headlines on Sunday, April 16, following his first performance at the popular music festival, which faced a series of production issues. The “Pink + White” artist originally planned to have an ice rink and skaters on the stage with him but it was called off that day. Instead, he reportedly showed up late and performed a different arrangement of several of his songs, according to Variety.
During the set, he and the band were unable to be seen by most of the crowd, per the outlet. The act was also not livestreamed, unlike most sets at Coachella. At the time, Ocean did not reveal he sustained an injury over the weekend, however, the Grammy winner shared his remorse for the situation alongside his rep’s message in the Wednesday statement to Variety.
“‘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.’ — Frank Ocean,” he penned.
While some concertgoers took to social media to express their discontentment with Ocean’s set, stars including Justin Bieber came to the California native’s defense.
“I was blown away by Frank Ocean’s Coachella performance. His artistry is simply unmatched, his style, his taste, his voice, his attention to detail… I was deeply moved,” the “Baby” singer, 29, wrote via Instagram on Monday, April 17. “It made me want to keep going and get better as an artist. He continues to set the bar high and gave me a night I will never forget! Thanks Frank.”
Coachella has not announced an official replacement for Ocean yet, but Variety reported on Wednesday that Blink-182 will get the coveted slot. The rock group — which consists of Mark Hoppus, Tom DeLonge and Travis Barker — was not originally on the festival lineup when the schedule was first announced in January. However, on Thursday, April, 13, Coachella revealed that Blink-182 would take the stage via Instagram.
The “First Date” artists performed together on Friday, April 14, marking the first time the trio had reunited since DeLonge, 47, left the band in 2015. The band previously announced in October 2022 that DeLonge would be rejoining the group and that they are set to go on tour together later this year.
As the “All the Small Things” musicians rocked the concert, Barker’s wife, Kourtney Kardashian showed her support for her husband, 47.
“My first @blink182 show!” the Poosh founder, 43, captioned a video of her and the drummer embracing after his set. She shared the clip along with several photos via Instagram on Saturday, April 15.
