The Jarvis Lounge

JarFive (Midweek Edition)

1. Frank Ocean’s set at Coachella Weekend 1 – Much has already been written about Frank Ocean’s set on Sunday evening. Weirdly enough, most media coverage I’ve read has glossed over the issues, instead highlighting that he had a sprained ankle, his brother passing away in 2020, and him being forced to end his set early, due to curfew. The feedback from festival goers on Reddit and other social media platforms has focused on other major problems. He started his set almost an hour late, he apparently scrapped his entire planned setup hours before he played, and he also apparently split time with a dj playing his music, with Ocean performing for about 30 minutes. The planned livestream of his performance was canceled hours before he began. Neither Coachella (Goldenvoice) or Ocean have commented on the performance, with the Coachella social media pages silent on Ocean’s performance (at the time of this blog). So what does this mean for weekend 2? I’m not sure, though I think if Ocean doesn’t perform, they’ll just bump up Calvin Harris from his Saturday night spot, to close out Sunday. If he does perform, hopefully, it’ll be better. If it isn’t, it looks like I may be heading home earlier than expected.
2. Livestream coverage was rad – I’d suggest watching the YouTube stream, if you missed Weekend 1. I caught some of the sets, though I wanted to save some of the surprises for when I see them in person. But of the ones I watched, the standouts were Chemical Brothers, Metro Boomin, Weyes Blood, Kali Uchis, Noname, Gorillaz, and FKJ.
   • Blondie was pretty cool too. And they brought out the legendary Nile Rogers to play with them.
   • Gorillaz were fantastic, but there was little energy near the front of the stage. This has become a trend, where fans of a popular headliner wait up front all day, paying little attention to all the acts that play there. The look on Daman Albarn’s face after their set said it all. I read that Bonnaroo doesn’t allow fans to park all day waiting for a headliner, but I doubt Coachella will change this.
   • Metro Boomin had a number of guests, which is always appealing for festival goers. Future, 21 Savage, and John Legend were all up there earlier, followed by The Weeknd, and finally Puff Daddy (?). I’m not really a fan, but this was one of the better sets on the livestream. This is a sign that you’re doing things right when you’re at a festival this huge.
   • I did catch part of Charli XCX‘s set, which was good overall. My one complaint, which I saw on other stages, is that the backing tracks were way too loud. She was singing, but was dominated by her own backing track throughout. Hopefully this gets worked out for Weekend 2.
3. Just Like Heaven Fest is just under a month away – For those of you older millennials that look at the Coachella lineup, and immediately start reminiscing about the good ole days, you have Just Like Heaven to look forward to. In its third year, the festival features some acts you would have expected to find on the Coachella lineup 10-15 years ago. Also put on by Goldenvoice, this Pasadena fest boasts Yeah Yeah Yeahs, MGMT, M83, Future Islands, and Empire of the Sun. I’ll cover it closer to the festival.

4. “Questlove Supreme” interviews jazz legend Bob James – I’ll admit I haven’t listened to this one yet, but apparently it’s Jazz Appreciation Month. If you didn’t know, Bob James’ music has been a source of hip hop sampling, particularly his album “One.” I can’t wait to give this a listen.

5. Outside Lands single-day lineups announced this morning – The single-day lineups for the August festival were announced this morning. Tickets go on sale tomorrow.