The final day of Coachella 2026 has come and gone, and we have mixed emotions.
It’s always sad to say goodbye to arguably our favorite event of the year here in the desert, but on the other hand … it’s about time we get some sleep and stop breathing in dust for 12 hours a day.
Sunday had a more chill vibe than the rest of the festival — to be fair, it’s hard to beat those surprise appearances by Madonna and Olivia Rodrigo on Friday and Saturday, respectively — but the closing day was perhaps most notable for the performers who brought it even when they weren’t in an ideal time slot or stage position.
Overall, we gave today a B- because the stuff we did hear was good, but only one set truly blew any of us away (note: this story was written before Karol G’s headlining set, which will get its own standalone story).
Gigi Perez proves she has what it takes for massive stardom
I heard a lot of good things about singer-songwriter Gigi Perez’s set during Weekend 1, and her Weekend 2 set absolutely lived up to my high expectations — and then some.
It’s hard to put it into words, but there’s something so special about this New Jersey native’s voice. She can go from making you feel such intense, raw emotion one minute to jumping up and down with excitement the next, and she does it all with a cool girl poise and confidence that I find so inspiring.
This is an artist who knows who she is, and that was clear when she brought out her musical idol, Hayley Kiyoko, to sing Kiyoko’s Tumblr-era hit “Girls Like Girls” together. My heart swelled when, at the end of the song, she and Kiyoko stood hand in hand, proudly waving the LGBTQIA rainbow flag — and then the excitement came yet again when they announced their upcoming song together. Between the Lesbian pride moment and Perez speaking about her disapproval of ICE as a Cuban-American, I left this set feeling so proud of this artist I was only vaguely familiar with an hour prior.
— Niki Kottmann
Motion City Soundtrack finds the sweet spot between the hits and the new stuff
I went into Motion City Soundtrack’s Sunday night set in the Heineken House — my first time at that stage all weekend — a tad worried that they wouldn’t play the hits, but I shouldn’t have.
When I think of this Minneapolis pop-punk/rock band, I immediately think of their beloved song “Everything is Alright,” and thankfully they did play that banger as their second-to-last of the night (a song that, by the way, I was appalled to learn, will turn 21 years old on June 7), and they closed with other hit “The Future Freaks Me Out” (a title that remains relatable all these years later), but they also played a lot of songs off their latest album, “The Same Old Wasted Wonderful World,” and I’m glad they made us give those a chance before getting to the songs most of us were there to hear.
These guys have been around since I was 3 years old (and I’m 32, so do the math), and I love that I grew up listening to them on my iPod, then on streaming, and now live in my 30s — now that’s staying power.
— Niki Kottmann
Young Thug brings out Mariah the Scientist, shows he has plenty of hits
A week after delivering a high-energy set at Coachella Weekend 1, Young Thug again reminded festivalgoers of his preeminence among 2010s rappers while bringing out Mariah the Scientist as a special guest for Weekend 2.
The Coachella performances reflected a return to form for the rapper from Atlanta, who served more than two years behind bars due to racketeering and gang-related charges until his release from custody in late 2024. While sometimes performing over backing tracks, “Thugger” did plenty of rapping that showed off the wonky flows and vocal range that drove his rise to stardom.
For Weekend 2, Young Thug changed some of his set list, performing older songs like “With That,” “Wyclef Jean” and “Family Don’t Matter,” though he still played his biggest hits, such as “Mamacita” and “Pick Up the Phone.” (He also managed to perform “Best Friend,” after his set was cut short at the start of the song during Weekend 1.)
About halfway through the set, Young Thug brought out Mariah the Scientist to perform her song, “Burning Blue.” Last weekend, Young Thug welcomed Camila Cabello, Ty Dolla $ign and Nav as surprise guests at various points during his set.
After spending some of his set last weekend joking with celebrities like Teyana Taylor and North West, Young Thug continued the banter with people in the crowd. When he asked the crowd to form mosh pits, he bemoaned the VIP section’s apparent indifference. (“Y’all on some bougie s—,” he said.) But he appreciated the non-VIP areas’ enthusiasm, telling the crowd he loved them several times.
While Coachella’s lineups have drifted away slightly from big-name rappers in recent years, Young Thug’s performance was a strong reminder of what the genre can still offer on the Coachella Stage.
— Tom Coulter
Robert Trujillo of Metallica joins Suicidal Tendencies for rocking set
Hardcore punk band Suicidal Tendencies featured former bassist Thundercat during its Weekend 1 performance with its current bassist Tye Trujillo. During Weekend 2, the band went back further in its history and brought out Tye Trujillo’s father, former bassist Robert Trujillo, who now plays in Metallica, for awesome renditions of the songs “Lovely” and “I Saw Your Mommy.” Trujillo hugged all the band members at the end of the set, including Tye, but tried not to make it look too embarrassing in front of the crowd before walking off.
— Brian Blueskye
(This story was updated to add links.)
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: We gave the final day of Coachella 2026 a B-. Here’s why
Reporting by Niki Kottmann, Tom Coulter and Brian Blueskye, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
