Looking Back at Coachella 2016: Guns N’ Roses Reunite, Prince Tribute Captivates Festival
Coachella 2016 did what was seemingly impossible on its opening weekend and brought back the classic Guns N’ Roses lineup. Axl Rose and Slash took the stage as one unit…
Coachella 2016 did what was seemingly impossible on its opening weekend and brought back the classic Guns N' Roses lineup.
Axl Rose and Slash took the stage as one unit after 23 years apart. They hadn't played side by side since 1993. Angus Young joined them on stage, ripping through "Whole Lotta Rosie" and "Riff Raff" with the band.
Other acts joined forces across those first days. Rihanna and Big Sean appeared when Calvin Harris played his set. Disclosure pulled Lorde and Sam Smith into their performance.
LCD Soundsystem returned after saying goodbye in 2011. This was among their first shows since those farewell concerts. They played through their big hits and tipped their hat to Guns N' Roses, weaving "November Rain" into "New York, I Love You but You're Bringing Me Down."
Then, on April 21, Prince died. Festival organizers scrambled to honor him, as Paste Magazine remembers. They bathed the signature palm trees in purple light. LCD Soundsystem added Prince's "Controversy" to their Friday show during weekend two.
Musicians turned Coachella into a memorial. Joey Bada$$ sang "1999," Jack Ü closed with a Prince montage, and Mavis Staples shared her first memory of meeting Prince, then sang "Purple Rain" without any instruments backing her up.
On Sunday, Usher joined Major Lazer. They performed "I Would Die 4 U" and "1999." Kamasi Washington fused that second track with his own "Malcolm's Theme" and stretched it into an 11-minute session.
President Barack Obama wrote a statement. Part of it read, "Few artists have influenced the sound and trajectory of popular music more distinctly, or touched quite so many people with their talent." Movie theaters around the country showed Purple Rain in the days after he passed.
Prince had played Coachella in 2008. He was added at the last minute for one night only. Organizers announced him just two weeks before the show. His eight-minute version of Radiohead's "Creep" still stands as one of Coachella's most unforgettable moments.
