Frank Ocean Was Cut Short At Coachella And No One Is Happy
When we say no one was happy, we mean literally all parties involved. The highly anticipated and long-awaited performance from
Victoria Liotta
When we say no one was happy, we mean literally all parties involved. The highly anticipated and long-awaited performance from Frank Ocean at the Coachella Music Festival was cut short due to curfew rules (and a dramatic delay of the set starting) and fans are visibly upset over it. If you’re a fan of Ocean then you know the weight of this performance. The beloved singer and songwriter hasn’t been on stage in 6 years, and probably won’t be on stage again for another 6+ (not including weekend two of Coachella, obviously). His intimate set featured fan-favorite singles, album hits from “Blonde” and “Channel Orange,” as well as new tracks off of his new album, which he also announced last night.
An Abrupt Ending
What should have been a magical evening of fans connecting through the heartfelt lyrics and deep emotions of Frank Ocean became a short hour with an abrupt ending at 12:20 AM due to the California curfew.
Directly after a song, Ocean came on the mic saying, “Guys, I’m being told it’s curfew, so that’s the end of the show. Thank you so much.”
The baseline of the story is that the set started an hour late, therefore, ran late and was forced to end early because it was running past the curfew that the festival was allowed.
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This morning, the verified Twitter account @TheFestivalOwl shared the details behind WHY Ocean’s set began an hour late and WHY the relationship between him and Coachella is now tainted.
The account wrote, “I’ve been speaking with sources about exactly what transpired and how things went so far downhill Sunday for #FrankOcean + #Coachella…so here you go.”
“The stage production was suppose to (and did) contain an ice rink that was constructed and ready to go. Frank decided at the last minute that he no longer wanted it at all. All of the people walking around him at the start of the performance were actually ice skaters, had been practicing for weeks, and were supposed to be skating as part of the production. Coachella had to deconstruct the approved stage (that had been planned and signed off on for months in advance) + melt the entire ice rink and then set it up how Frank decided today with no warning. Which is what you ended up seeing, and caused the hour long delay. This all happened when doors had already open for Sunday, and people were securing their spots to see him. If the last minute changes weren’t made he wouldn’t have performed at all — leaving the festival without a closing headliner.”
The account finished with a quote from their source which reads, “It just didn’t seem like he wanted to be there but was obligated to be. Everything (including him) fell apart last minute. Don’t expect to see any coverage from the festival about the set. Something that is unprecedented in the history of Coachella. The relationship is not in a good place right now.”
As For Frank Ocean?
Frank Ocean’s speech during his Coachella set.pic.twitter.com/GN8Ly4GaHN
— Odd Future (@OddFuturePage) April 17, 2023
Ocean has done a spectacular job at reeling in a large following while staying completely under wraps. Fans don’t know his next move or when to expect new music. It’s almost as rare as seeing him on stage, hence the big deal of this all.
And, although his consistent absence, when he is present he is 100% there. Ocean gets personal with his fans and channels vulnerabilities that drive his music. During his Coachella set he told the crowd that he “wasn’t here because there’s an album, not that there’s not a new album,” which naturally got everyone excited. However, he shared his real reason for being on the iconic festival’s main stage after playing a track with the potential title “Inner Child.”
Ocean addressed a tragedy that happened in October 2020. His 18-year-old brother, Ryan Breaux, died in a car accident in Thousand Oaks. He admitted to that moment changing his like “so much” over the years that have passed. He shared, “My brother and I, we came to this festival a lot, and I feel like I was dragged out here half the time,” Ocean said. “One of my fondest memories was watching Rae Sremmurd with my brother, plus (our friend) Travis.”
“I know he would’ve been so excited to be here with all of us today, and I want to say thank you for the support and the ears and the love over all this time,” Ocean added. “Now, I’m gonna get back to the songs.”
Unfortunately, Ocean was only able to get through a handful of songs before having to shut everything down which left many fans frustrated and booing, some even crying, once the reality of his short performance settled in.
Given the current status of Ocean’s relationship with the festival, we can only wonder what weekend two of Coachella will bring.