Whenever we reach Coachella Day 3 , that means the festival is a wrap — until Weekend 2 kicks off, that is — and this year, the festival ended on a refreshingly cloudy and cool note.
It was a day filled with punk rock highlights and other memorable moments, but there were also some notable misses and technical mishaps.
Our overall impression of Sunday was positive, even though Black Flag’s current lineup doesn’t match the energy of previous versions and Wet Leg didn’t play as loudly as we would have preferred. Overall, we give Day 3 a grade of B.
Young Thug brings drone show, Camila Caballo
Rapper Young Thug kicked off his Sunday night main stage set with a drone show that started out as a huge red sphere, then devolved into a sparkly cloud. Then, when the music started, the drones popped to life again in a static version of his YSL logo (“Young Stoner Life,” not “Yves Saint Laurent”), which stayed there through the first three songs and then sprinkled away.
Young Thug was joined on stage by Ty Dolla $ign to start the show with “Carnival,” and four songs in, Camila Cabello popped up to sing her megahit “Havana.”
The special guests continued when Young Thug brought out Canadian rapper Nav to perform the live debut of their song “Trimski.” — Shad Powers and Niki Kottmann
A shirtless Iggy Pop shows 78 is just a number
Iggy Pop brought “Raw Power” to the Mojave on Sunday night, and the 78‑year‑old icon showed up with an impressive live band behind him, which included Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ guitarist Nick Zinner, Interpol bassist Brad Truax, The Armed’s Urian Hackney on drums, and Joan Wasser (Joan As Police Woman) on keys.
The set was packed with highlights: a full‑throated crowd sing-along during “The Passenger,” “I Wanna Be Your Dog,” “Gimme Danger,” “Lust for Life,” and plenty more.
Even as his scoliosis has become more visible in recent years, he’s still performing shirtless, still prowling the stage, and still delivering the kind of raw, high‑energy rock show that only Iggy Pop can. — Brian Blueskye
Foster the People encourages fellow artists during fun set
Indie rock band Foster the People returned to Coachella after 12 years on Sunday, and it was clear the crowd missed them dearly.
From the first notes of their opener, “Helena Beat,” one of their many throwback songs throughout the set, viewers were locked into their set and singing along to all the words. While I admit I haven’t kept up with the band much since their breakout in the early 2010s, others in the crowd have followed this group through thick and thin.
What really stood out to this Palm Springs resident wasn’t frontman Mark Foster’s pitch-perfect voice, but rather their mid-century modern backdrop. A home that could very easily make it onto Modernism Week’s feature home tours was behind them, featuring a butterfly roof and plenty of color. A 1960s “nuclear family” also appeared on screen a number of times throughout the set.
Right before the group went into their explosive hit, “Pumped Up Kicks,” Foster spoke directly to the many artists in the crowd, both those who have found success and those still trying to find their footing. About a year and a half before the group made its Coachella debut in 2012, he said he was considering quitting music after years of being a struggling musician. But then everything changed once “Pumped Up Kicks” came out.
In dark times, Foster said that people turn to artists for comfort, and he encouraged people to continue sharing their point of view and voice. — Ema Sasic
Black Flag disappoints big time
The Los Angeles hardcore punk band Black Flag has endured many lineup changes since forming in 1976, featuring different eras under frontmen such as Henry Rollins, Keith Morris and Ron Reyes.
But in 2025, guitarist Greg Ginn announced another reformation featuring significantly younger musicians from the area near where he now lives in Texas. That was the lineup that performed on Sunday in the Gobi tent during the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
When the band opened with “Can’t Decide” followed by the classic “Nervous Breakdown,” watching the 71-year-old Greg Ginn perform alongside vocalist Max Zanelly, bassist David Rodriguez, and drummer Bryce Weston felt nothing like Black Flag. However, the musicianship of Ginn and the rest of the band was exceptional.
Attendance at the Gobi was decent, but it consisted of curious onlookers with skepticism, those indifferent who moshed or screamed along to the lyrics of “Six Pack” and “My War” for the hell of it, spectators who peeked in and left, some who wanted to give it a chance, and others who walked away in disgust. — Brian Blueskye
Major Lazer brought a party to the main stage
Early in Major Lazer’s lively afternoon set, someone on stage uttered that the group wanted to give people something different in what was their first Coachella show in 10 years. I think the show largely succeeded.
A common complaint about DJ shows is that you’re just sitting there watching someone press buttons on a computer. But that was far from the case here, as the stage played host to several dancers, a barrage of pyrotechnics and a somewhat complicated stage setup that I am not sure how to describe (beyond that it contained satellite dishes and so much activity that it was hard to find the group’s most famous member on stage, Diplo).
But it was the activity in the crowd that I will probably remember most from this show. While the set took place in the daylight, people showed up ready to groove, and a lively dance party broke out on the grass (or what was left of the grass). Sometimes you just want to be around thousands of people dancing along to lightly remixed versions of iconic dance songs like “Lean On” and “Cold Water” (no, Justin Bieber didn’t come out for that one) and on that note, this set more than delivered. — Paul Albani-Burgio
Clipse ends strong set in poignant fashion
I knew very little about Clipse when I wandered over to the Outdoor Stage a few minutes after the hip hop duo’s set began Sunday. And if I’m being honest, this devout Blink-182 fan felt sure he had already missed the biggest highlight when I arrived on the scene just as Travis Barker was leaving the stage.
But it didn’t take long for me to realize that Clipse is awesome. They brought plenty of energy and seemed to revel in performing together with the smile rarely seeming to leave Pusha T’s face, in particular.
But what really won me over was the last song of the show, “The Birds Don’t Sing,” which the duo said was meant to honor those who have lost their mothers and fathers and which the pair, who are brothers, performed while photos of their own parents, families and childhoods were shown on the screen. It was a beautifully poignant and quiet moment during a festival that can sometimes feel like it is trying to overload your senses at all times. — Paul Albani-Burgio
Wet Leg’s Coachella return was good but not quite great
One of my favorite pre-Coachella discoveries of this year has been this boisterous, sexually charged English rock band. So it bums me out a little to say that while the band’s set was perfectly serviceable, it won’t go down as one of the most memorable of the day.
Maybe it was a case of the afternoon of Day 3 doldrums, but the set just seemed to lack a certain sonic power and energy as if somehow the sound wasn’t turned up as loud as it could’ve been (I felt this even more after hearing Young Thug’s booming set later in then day).
Front woman Rhian Teasdale (who feels like who Jenny from Forest Gump would be if she had been born in 1993) channeled the band’s vibe as she writhed around on stage and swung her microphone, but that energy wasn’t quite enough to compensate for what felt like underpowered vocals.
The band’s newest hit, “mangeout,” is a great enough song to sound good even at a less than ideal volume and certainly got the crowd going (especially given its popularity now that it was featured in “Heated Rivalry”). But it still didn’t quite live up to my hope for a raucous live rendition that would do full justice to the song and its forceful call to “get lost forever.” — Paul Albani-Burgio
Gigi Perez impresses in Coachella debut
If I were to pick one artist from this year’s fest who I think will likely be showing back up to Coachella with much higher billing in the next few years, it would be Gigi Perez.
I came into the set knowing Perez for her hit “Sailor Song,” which was among my favorite new songs of 2025. But what I found was an artist who is already proving to be much more than a one-hit-wonder.
Perez’s impressive set included guest appearances by two talented sisters. First up was her own, Bella, with whom she performed a beautiful song called “Sugar Water.” Then, next up was Miley Cyrus’ sister, Noah, with whom Perez sang “Sometimes (Backwood).”
But there was no outshining Perez, who seemed to win over the crowd with an eerily strong cover of Lana Del Rey’s “Summertime Sadness” (the kind that makes it not feel crazy to think of her following in Lana’s footsteps) and closed the show by leading a singalong of “Sailor Song,” which almost sounded like a new song when sung in what I can only describe as Perez’s less androgynous-sounding live singing voice. — Paul Albani-Burgio
BIGBANG reunites at Coachella for first show since 2017
Known as one of the bands that helped usher in the K-pop boom, BIGBANG reunited Sunday night at Coachella to perform a show together for the first time since 2017, though the band was scheduled to play Coachella in 2020 before it was wiped out by the COVID pandemic.
The three primary members — G-Dragon, Taeyang and Daesung — were back together with their high-energy antics, dipping in and out of Korean and English throughout the set that had a large crowd enrapt and singing every lyric at the Outdoor Theatre.
At times during their hour-long set, the three members also did solo performances as each also has had a substantial solo career. This won’t be the last time they will perform together. The Coachella set is the unofficial starting point of a worldwide tour, but the dates and cities have not yet been revealed. — Shad Powers
FKA twigs transforms Mojave tent into ballroom scene
English songstress FKA twigs turned the Mojave tent into a pulse-pounding New York City ballroom club, captivating and impressing at every turn.
The ethereal singer began her set rising from a comfy bed, looking angelic as she sang “meta angel.” Her stage design was fairly simple, but there were touches added that made everything pop. A shadow from a dancer with large, white wings was projected behind the singer, adding to the airy vibe, while flashing lights got the audience in the club scene.
From then, FKA twigs did not let up with the showmanship. Her voice was astounding, effortlessly hitting the delicate high notes on “Eusexua.” But her dancing is truly a wonder to witness. Whether she was in-sync with her dancers for an avant-garde piece or showing off her flexibility, you can’t help but be in awe of all that she does.
Even when FKA twigs was off the stage for a costume change — which there were multiple, like a matching white tank top and underwear and a black gothic gown with red spikes sticking up from the back — her impressive troupe of dancers kept the party going. Once they broke out into a ballroom scene, it was madness inside the Mojave, with the crowd jumping and screaming at all the voguing and death drops. — Ema Sasic
The Chats perform wild early afternoon show in the Gobi tent
An afternoon time slot — especially 3 p.m. — on the Sunday of any Coachella weekend is typically considered early, but fans who arrived to see the Australian punk band The Chats were eager to party.
From start to finish, their performance was wild. The band’s songs are rowdy and brash, leaving no room for subtlety. Frontman Eamon Zambia Sandwith asked the crowd to scream a tawdry message in unison with him for those livestreaming at home, which many did, and some with their middle fingers in the air. Fans were also moshing throughout the show. — Brian Blueskye
Icelandic songstress Laufey could headline Coachella, she’s that good
Her name doesn’t rhyme with toffee or taffy, it’s actually pronounced LAY-vay, but the 26-year-old prodigy from Iceland put on such a soulful, confident, creative performance Sunday at the Outdoor Theatre at Coachella, that’s it’s impossible not to foresee huge things in her future.
And that could include a Coachella headlining. Before you say it’s crazy, remember that a quarter of all female Coachella headliners have been Icelandic (Bjork twice).
Laufey, whose sound is a throwback to an era of jazz and bossa nova, played guitar, piano and cello throughout her hour-long set. She has the charisma, pipes and flair to pull off a cinematic Lady Gaga Coachella 2025-esque show.
Her closing message for her fans — and all the creatives watching — on Sunday was particularly powerful.
“It doesn’t matter what kind of art you make, there’s an audience for it,” she said. “Stick to what makes you unique. I’m raised on classical and jazz, and I never would’ve imagined playing a festival like this — yet here we are at Coachella. What an honor.”
The honor will be ours when she headlines in, let’s say, 2029.
(This story was updated to add new information and more photos.)
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Coachella Day 3 rappers, rockers stole the show — except Black Flag
Reporting by Ema Sasic, Brian Blueskye, Shad Powers and Paul Albani-Burgio, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
