INDIO, United States – Bad Bunny was among Coachella’s most hotly anticipated acts and the Puerto Rican reggaeton giant delivered late on Friday, performing two hours of his numerous hits set against an homage to trailblazing Latino artistes.

The megastar was the first Spanish-language and first Latin American act to headline the major festival, which takes place over two three-day weekends and traditionally kicks off the summer touring circuit.

It is but another notch on the belt of the artiste born Benito Martinez Ocasio, the 29-year-old who is by most measures the biggest pop star in the world.

With tracks from Vete to Titi Me Pregunto to Yo Perreo Sola, the artiste shut down the festival’s main stage in front of thousands of screaming fans, with trippy visuals and fireworks and flames bursting behind him.

The show also featured documentary-style footage with voiceovers contextualising the history of the Latin American, and more specifically Caribbean, music that features heavily in his work.

He also included extended dance breaks to classics including late Puerto Rican singer Ismael Rivera’s Las Tumbas and Puerto Rican salsa orchestra El Gran Combo’s Brujeria.

Like many artistes at Coachella, Bad Bunny brought on famous guests including American rapper Post Malone, who – despite technical difficulties that rendered the artistes at times inaudible – performed an acoustic version of La Cancion to the crowd’s delight.

Early in the set, Bad Bunny asked the crowd if it preferred he speak English or Spanish, and the response was a resounding vote for the latter.

Though he is already one of the world’s top contemporary acts and played Coachella as a solo artiste in 2019, he acknowledged the boundary that was broken on Friday night as the night’s top-billed performer: “There’s never been someone like me before,” he said in Spanish.

Blink and Blondie

Hours before the groundbreaking set, fans witnessed the festival revive its turn-of-the-millennium rock roots, as Blink-182 gave a surprise show announced just one day prior.

The nostalgic headbanging moment was the American pop-punk group’s first performance with their original line-up in nearly a decade, and had droves of 30-somethings reliving the soundtrack of their youth.

Bandmembers Travis Barker, Mark Hoppus and Tom DeLonge – who are now pushing or past 50 – delivered the hits of middle-school dances yore, including The Rock Show and What’s My Age Again.

By the set’s close, the band had thousands of people belting out a moody I Miss You before a mass sing-along of All The Small Things.

After the set, many rushed to a neighbouring tent to catch a blockbuster show from American rock band Blondie, who also delivered hits including Heart Of Glass and Call Me, and invited guest Nile Rodgers onstage.

Globalised line-up

But neither rock nor legacy acts dominated Friday’s slate, which featured main stage shows from rappers Pusha T and Doechii, a performance from Nigeria’s Burna Boy and DJ sets from the likes of Nora en Pure and Idris Elba. (Yes, actor Idris Elba.)

Belgium’s pop star Angele made her Coachella debut in a coveted nighttime slot, donning a disco ball of an outfit to perform her brand of jazz-inflected electro-pop alongside tightly choreographed dancers and occasional French subtitles on display behind her.

Los Angeles native Becky G donned a bright blue bikini and baggy JNCO jeans for her highly anticipated set, which featured a smattering of her hits and some regional Mexican guest appearances paying homage to her Mexican-American roots.

“A lot of Latin artistes are breaking a lot of barriers,” fan Katherine Narvaez told AFP ahead of Becky G’s show.

“It’s amazing to see her grow as an artist and kill it at the show,” the 28-year-old said.

Along with Bad Bunny and Becky G, the strong showing from Latinos this year includes rapper Eladio Carrion, Argentina’s Los Fabulosos Cadillacs and the Grammy-winning Kali Uchis.

This year is the first time Coachella has not booked a white headliner: Following Bad Bunny, K-pop superstars Blackpink and the influential but reclusive R&B artist Frank Ocean top the bill at Coachella.

And the weekend is hosting perhaps the most international line-up Coachella has ever booked, including Spanish phenomenon Rosalia and Iceland’s Bjork.

The elusive electronic producer Jai Paul is set to play his first public performance, while Diljit Dosanjh will become the first Punjabi singer to perform at Coachella.

Also on deck for the rest of the weekend are American indie rock supergroup Boygenius – which include Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker – and Charli XCX. AFP