
Coachella 2023: See Shawn Mendes, Ariana Madix & More
Frank Ocean's Coachella 2023 performance is making waves, but not in the way you'd expect.
The Grammy winner was the third and final headliner at the three-day Indio, Calif. music festival. While the April 16 show—Ocean's first concert in nearly six years—was hotly anticipated, his stage comeback ultimately left fans scratching their heads after it was riddled with complications, including an disjointedly abrupt end to his set.
As seen in a video circulating on Twitter, the 35-year-old cut his performance short by announcing to the crowd, "Guys, I'm being told it's curfew, so that's the end of the show. Thank you so much."
What's worse for concertgoers, Ocean's set had already been shortened due to a delayed start. The "Thinkin Bout You" singer did not hit the stage until almost an hour after its advertised time, with the first five minutes featuring a group of people silently walking around in a circle on stage with Ocean nowhere to be found, according to Variety.
And when Ocean did finally appear, belting out the first lines of his 2011 hit "Novacane," he was hardly seen given how he had tucked his microphone in a small area at the back of the stage. His position also made it hard for the cameras to capture him, leading to largely shots of the back of his head being shown on the stage's giant LED screen.
"trust me you did not want to be watching frank ocean," one Coachella attendee tweeted, while a second fan wrote that Ocean's set "had to be the worst I've ever experienced and he's my fav artist lmao."
Other aspects social media users took issue with included how Ocean's show was not livestreamed on Coachella's YouTube channel, unlike almost all of the other performances from this year's festival. "Started the set late, didn't let them live stream it, now ending the set early," a third fan remarked. "frank ocean you will rue the day."
John Shearer/Getty Images for THR
However, there were still several highlights from the show. A security guard twerking along to music made for a buzzy moment, as did Ocean alluding to new music.
"I wanna talk about why we're here, because it's not because of a new album," he told the audience in a video captured by a fan. "Not that there's not a new album, but there's not right now."
The Channel Orange artist also briefly touched on the death of his 18-year-old brother Ryan Breaux, who passed away in a car crash in 2020. "My life's changed so much," he said, before recalling how he and his brother used to attend Coachella. "I know he would've been so excited to be here with all of us."
Keep reading for more Coachella sightings.
Roger / BACKGRID
Kendall Jenner & Bad Bunny
BÉIS
Shay Mitchell
at Revolve Festival with BÉIS x Wanderlust
Jerritt Clark/Getty Images for Tequila Don Julio
Camila Cabello
at Levi's brand presents Neon Carnival with Tequila Don Julio
Madison Voelkel
Olivia Culpo
at evian's Club Hydration at TAO Desert Nights
Al Powers
Austin North
at Levi's brand presents Neon Carnival with Tequila Don Julio
Jerritt Clark/Getty Images for Tequila Don Julio
Janelle Monáe
at Levi's brand presents Neon Carnival with Tequila Don Julio
Jojo Korsh/BFA.com
Zoey Deutch, Irina Shayk & Emma Roberts
at H&M Poolside Brunch
Loamis Media
Quincy Brown
at Soho Desert House with CIROC Honey Melon
Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for CELSIUS
Ariana Madix & Scheana Shay
at CELSIUS Oasis Vibe House
Shutterstock for BDG
Rachel Zoe
at The Zoe Report's Zoeasis
Shutterstock for BDG
Alessandra Ambrosio
at The Zoe Report's Zoeasis
Shutterstock for BDG
Teddi Mellencamp
at The Zoe Report's Zoeasis
Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for Heineken
Kathryn Newton
at the Heineken House
Mat Hayward/Getty Images for STURDY. x Liquid I.V.
Scheana Shay
at STURDY. Oasis Hydrated By Liquid I.V. - Afro House
Mat Hayward/Getty Images for STURDY. x Liquid I.V.
Alessandra Ambrosio
at STURDY. Oasis Hydrated By Liquid I.V. - Afro House
Jerritt Clark/Getty Images for Casamigos Tequila
Becky G
at TAO Desert Nights presented by Jeeter with Casamigos
TAO Hospitality Group
Post Malone
at TAO Desert Nights presented by Jeeter
The Daily Stardust / BACKGRID
Shawn Mendes
at Coachella
Backgrid
Camila Cabello
at Coachella
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Coachella
Bad Bunny
performing onstage at Coachella
Shutterstock for BDG
Yara Shahidi
at NYLON House in the Desert 2023, Presented by Samsung Galaxy
Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images for CELSIUS
Landon Barker
at CELSIUS Oasis Vibe House
Shutterstock for BDG
Bella Thorne
at NYLON House in the Desert 2023, Presented by Samsung Galaxy
Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for CELSIUS
Patrick Schwarzenegger
at CELSIUS Oasis Vibe House
Shutterstock for BDG
Teyana Taylor
at NYLON House in the Desert 2023, Presented by Samsung Galaxy
Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for CELSIUS
Delilah Belle Hamlin & Madison Beer
at CELSIUS Oasis Vibe House
Esteban Bonilla for KumoLuxe
DJ Roxy Ferrari
at Sonic Desert presented by Coca-Cola Creations with KumoLuxe
Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images for CELSIUS
Evan Mock & Shaun White
at CELSIUS Oasis Vibe House
Shutterstock for BDG
Amber Rose
at NYLON House in the Desert 2023, Presented by Samsung Galaxy
Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images for CELSIUS
Karrueche Tran
at CELSIUS Oasis Vibe House
For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App