Our deepest condolences to Weekend 1 ticket holders.
The general consensus coming out of the second weekend of the Coachella Vally Music and Arts Festival is that most of the artists performing saved the best for last. A handful of enhanced sets and some new additions to the lineup made Weekend 2 of Coachella the clear winner, potentially affecting a handful of Grammy categories as campaigning ramps up for the summer and the end of the eligibility window in August.
Here’s who is up after Weekend 2 at Coachella.
Madonna
PinkPantheress may have the bigger guest list for her on-stage birthday bash, but Sabrina Carpenter‘s second set at Coachella had literal royalty collaborating with the “House Tour” singer. Madonna joined Carpenter on stage for four covers from her catalog, including “Vogue” and “Like a Prayer.” The Queen of Pop started off the weekend by debuting the first single from her highly anticipated new album, Confessions II, called “I Feel So Free,” and closed things out on stage with one of today’s acts who she paved the way for.
Justin Bieber
Perhaps Bieber came into the second weekend of Coachella wondering if it was too late to say “Sorry.” A low-energy performance during Weekend 1 generated plenty of memes, but during his on this past Saturday brought, he brought out several special guests — including SZA and Big Sean — and created what may go down as the moment of this year’s Coachella.
During “One Less Lonely Girl” — Bieber’s first performance of the song since 2020 — a fan climbed up onto the stage, but it wasn’t just any fan. Billie Eilish, a longtime Belieber, had been pushed onto the stage by the singer’s wife, Hailey, for a surprise serenade. Eilish was clearly beside herself with emotion and gave audiences several infinitely replayable clips.
Kacey Musgraves
Album of the Year winner Kacey Musgraves joined the fest just for the second weekend as a last-minute addition to the lineup. She brought several new songs from her upcoming album, The Middle of Nowhere, and even rewrote the verses to George Strait’s “All My Ex’s Live in Texas,” reminding the audience exactly why she’s the cross-over star she is.
The Strokes
After last weekend’s crowd whether they were excited for the draft, rockers The Strokes got even more political at the end of their most recent set. The screens behind the band during their song “Oblivius” highlighted U.S. interventionism, specifically the destabilizing work of the CIA and the destruction in Iran. It was a big, bold statement on a very public platform for the band, which is reemerging into the spotlight after a six-year hiatus — and whose new album, Reality Awaits, drops June 26, just in time for 2027 Grammy consideration.
