Breaking Beats: Best surprise guests at Coachella
This week I’m going to be covering everything Coachella. Coachella is known for all its fantastic surprise guests, from Jay Z bringing out Beyoncé to Justin Bieber making an appearance with Chance the Rapper in 2014. Of all the major artists to surprise the desert crowd, these are my top picks.
9. Beyoncé at Solange
The surprises at Coachella always differ and the first weekend is where the best stuff happens. In 2014 Solange brought out her megastar big sis to come dance it up on stage for the finale, “Losing You.” Talk about power siblings.
8. Usher at Pharrell
Another 2014 happy moment was when Pharrell brought out Usher to sing his early 2000s cut “U Don’t Have To Call.” I was lucky enough to catch the performance and was two-stepping my way to the front row.
7. Jay Z at Nas
In 2014, Nas played the entirety of his masterpiece rap album Illmatic. To my surprise, Nas brought none other than fellow New Yorker and former enemy Jay Z onstage. New York is in the desert!
6. Madonna at Drake
Remember when Madonna came out at last year’s festival?
5. Debbie Harry at Arcade Fire
I’m so sad I missed Debbie Harry singing “Heart of Glass” with Arcade Fire when they closed out the 2014 festival. The performance looked epic and Debbie will always be one of my favorite artists! #BlondieOrBust
4. Busta Rhymes and Too Short at Girl Talk
Girl Talk is notorious for throwing the craziest shows that basically turn into one giant party up on stage. Other 2014 special guests were Busta Rhymes and Too $hort.
3. Tyler, The Creator at Frank Ocean
Tyler, The Creator showed up for a surprise performance with Frank Ocean at Frank’s 2013 set. The Odd Future reunion was one of the top talked about moments of the year.
2. Rihanna at Calvin Harris
On weekend one in 2012, Rihanna blessed the festival girls and boys with a medley of “We Found Love” and “Where Have You Been” with DJ/producer Calvin Harris. Hopefully there will be a repeat this year at Calvin Harris’s closing set.
1. Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and hologram Tupac
The most infamous moment at Coachella so far was hologram Tupac at Dr. Dre’s killer 2013 set. Snoop supported the gansta rappers in a compilation of dope 90s rap classics.
