Latest / gasp! the pod / how influencers broke coachella

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how influencers broke coachella · gasp! the pod

0:00
The true spirit of Coachella is fading, which is music and
0:04
community. I understand this is not like
0:06
actually a huge problem, but like, don't we want to preserve
0:09
American culture? Hi guys, welcome back to GASP
0:23
the Pod, the podcast for the girls, the gays, and especially
0:26
the gay girls. As you guys know, I have a lot
0:29
of pop culture hot takes. That's the whole point of this
0:31
podcast. I have some strong opinions
0:36
about this year's Coachella 2026 Coachella.
0:40
I'm sure you guys have seen most of these sets on the Internet.
0:44
At this point. Coachella is not confined to the
0:47
people that attend Coachella. It's kind of like a check on
0:50
which artists are doing well and which artists are not doing
0:53
well. A lot of the buzz was around
0:55
Sabrina Carpenter, Justin Bieber, and Carol G.
0:57
They headlined the festival and people were very excited for all
1:00
three of their sets. Now I have opinions on the three
1:04
of them. However, this episode is not
1:06
really just on the artist of Coachella, but it's also about
1:10
how I feel like Coachella could be ruined for the future is
1:14
maybe ruined right now, and how Coachella can kind of save it
1:18
from becoming just an influencer fest.
1:21
Because we're seeing this decline in a audience excitement
1:27
and B normal people being able to attend Coachella.
1:32
But at the same time, we're seeing a skyrocketing in artist
1:36
performance, creativity and stage performance.
1:39
And I will tell you the takes that I have on the people that I
1:41
don't think lived up to potential.
1:43
Why are we seeing so many artists do so well, bring so
1:48
much energy to this Coachella specifically?
1:51
It feels like there was so much happening.
1:52
Like every single artist, even if they weren't performing was
1:55
like brought on stage. Yet influencers and the crowd
1:59
are giving meh. They're giving lackluster
2:02
energy. They're giving nothing.
2:04
Burger lights, music, apathy. Like what's happening?
2:08
It is really a tale of two Coachellas in my opinion.
2:12
And I have a larger thesis to why this phenomenon is
2:14
happening, why it feels like artists are bringing the heat
2:18
and the influencers are bringing fucking nothing.
2:21
It's almost like Coachella 1 is vastly different from Coachella
2:26
Weekend 2. So this episode I'm going to
2:28
talk all about Coachella, the specific reasons why it's become
2:32
an influencer fest and why the influencers are ruining the vibe
2:36
which you would think they would be like so excited to be there.
2:39
I'm going to talk about guests that came out and also talk
2:41
about the performers that I thought brought the energy and
2:43
some that did not. Because truly Coachella really
2:46
is a test on how can you perform for people that are not
2:50
necessarily your fans. As always, I want to know your
2:53
thoughts. I want to know where you
2:54
disagree. I want to know where you agree.
2:57
If I disagree with you on something, just know it's not
3:00
that deep. It's just opinions about pop
3:02
culture. Reminder, please subscribe on
3:04
YouTube and Spotify if you enjoy this video.
3:06
If you enjoy this podcast, I have a new bonus episode coming
3:09
out this week. It's a Galer Song of the Month
3:12
episode. So I'm going through lyrical
3:14
analysis on 2 songs that I think are gay as fuck from Taylor
3:18
Swift Daylight. And it's nice to have a friend
3:20
that will be out on Patreon and Spotify for my subscribers.
3:24
And I'm also going to do another bonus series for my subscribers.
3:28
It's going to be hot Takes. I can't post on the Internet and
3:31
this is a compilation of posts that I've almost made.
3:35
Or like literally made the full TikTok and then decided not to
3:38
post it because I thought the Internet couldn't handle it.
3:40
And I'm going to post it just for my subscribers because I
3:43
think you guys can fucking handle it.
3:45
I don't know, I was like super surprised by the reaction of
3:49
some people in Olivia Rodrigo video I made.
3:51
And I was like, I really wasn't even flaming her.
3:54
And you guys are really upset. So I was like, maybe I shouldn't
3:56
release this other video that heaven forbid, had to take on an
4:00
artist that wasn't like 100% positive the entire time.
4:04
Anyways, that's why I'm going to start that bonus series.
4:06
Lastly, share the pod with your friends.
4:08
Let me know any episodes you want me to do, any bonus
4:11
episodes, any content, whether that's Adm, comment, etcetera.
4:15
OK, let's get into the episode for my general Coachella
4:18
thoughts this year. I was actually blown away.
4:21
I was blown away by like kind of a lot of it.
4:24
I feel like a lot of artists brought their A game.
4:27
I was surprised by how many guests that artists brought out
4:32
specifically weekend 2. It does seem to me that weekend
4:36
2 was just 100% better, not just in terms of like guests, but
4:42
also in terms of audience participation.
4:44
And we'll get into this and like my reasons why I think this is
4:47
the case later, but also it seems like artists were having a
4:51
better time Weekend 2 as well. If you follow me on TikTok, I
4:56
did have a not so positive review of Justin Bieber's
5:01
performance from weekend one. This was Bieber chela.
5:04
So like everyone was talking about how Justin Bieber was
5:08
headlining this year. Now here's the T you guys.
5:11
He has had kind of a rocky road. He hasn't been putting out
5:15
consistent music, he hasn't really been touring.
5:17
People were saying he was losing his confidence and then when he
5:20
released this latest album, it was a lot more under his
5:23
control. And especially his performance
5:26
and his creative choices are now more so under his control.
5:29
Now here's the T that I don't think anyone's really talking
5:33
about. I think one of the reasons why
5:35
he's gaining his confidence and making more of his own choices
5:38
that are actually really working for him is because he is no
5:42
longer under Scooter Braun's management.
5:45
Yeah, Scooter Braun from Taylor Swift, right?
5:49
It seems like Scooter Braun is ruining every single
5:51
relationship he has and that like no one actually likes to
5:55
work with him because once Justin stopped working with
5:58
Scooter, he released one of his best albums.
6:01
He seems happier and he headlined Coachella and did
6:05
great. So that's, I think something
6:06
that people are not really talking about, is like he has
6:09
more control and Scooter Braun, the rat he is, is out of his
6:13
life. And that's why I think swag was
6:15
so good, because Scooter Braun didn't fucking touch it.
6:17
Makes sense, right? But the first weekend I felt
6:22
like personally, the fact that he was paid $10 million to
6:26
headline it clouded my judgment because I was just like, that's
6:29
so much fucking money. And I also think I was comparing
6:33
him to Sabrina, which I will get into, and like Taylor Swift and
6:36
like Beyoncé, who headlined and like literally still the most
6:41
iconic headlining of Coachella we've ever seen.
6:44
When I see a male artist search things on YouTube and feel like
6:49
he didn't really know what he was going to pull up before he
6:52
pulled it up and then was like harmonizing with himself, I was
6:55
kind of like so focused on comparing that to women.
6:59
However, when you stop comparing to women, he actually was pretty
7:03
good. Not my fault though that women
7:05
set a very high bar. When you view it with the
7:08
nostalgia that should be a part of the perspective of like
7:12
listening to Justin Bieber. And also his voice was so
7:15
fucking good. I could like actually enjoy it.
7:18
Weekend too. I felt like his energy was so
7:20
much higher. He seemed so much more
7:21
comfortable. Obviously I wasn't fucking
7:23
there. If anyone wants to send me to
7:25
Coachella let me know. Like I can't fucking afford to
7:28
go there right now so would love to do that.
7:31
If you want me to be able to afford to go to Coachella, you
7:33
know, subscribe anyways, I will have more of my thoughts about
7:38
Justin Bieber. But like with Sabrina, Justin,
7:41
Carol G Slade, there's a lot of other performers that I want to
7:46
shout out. But I feel like on the performer
7:48
end, I was seeing so much creativity.
7:50
These performers were so different and like people really
7:54
brought their A game. I mean, Sabrina, it was a full
7:57
fucking theater Broadway show. We all knew she was amazing.
8:02
I knew she was amazing. And I always thought her
8:04
creative direction and her choices that she made not only
8:08
in her music videos, her tour, but like also her own style and
8:12
how she like incorporates that into her music to create a
8:14
story. I always thought that was
8:16
brilliant. But seeing it at Coachella, this
8:19
is another fucking level. So those were my thoughts in
8:22
terms of the artists. But when you fucking watch
8:26
videos of any of these performances and it starts
8:30
panning to the crowd, even if it's Justin Bieber, even if it's
8:34
Sabrina Carpenter, yes, there's a few fans that are freaking
8:38
out. But besides that, there is a
8:40
literal dead energy emanating from the crowd that I couldn't
8:47
understand. I am forced to blame
8:50
influencers. I mean, the crowds were dead,
8:52
not dancing. Even if they weren't dancing,
8:55
they weren't really screaming. They didn't really have their
8:57
hands up even at the earlier sets.
8:59
So a lot of people were saying, Oh my gosh, guys, now they're
9:02
just tired because they're in the desert.
9:04
Listen, I'm not saying people need to jump up and down and
9:07
scream for every single second of Coachella.
9:10
I am just saying that there is a distinct difference with
9:14
Coachella's crowds versus a crowd for like any other concert
9:18
ever that I've ever seen or been to.
9:21
I've been to a lot of festivals. I've never been to Coachella.
9:24
And I understand it's super tiring.
9:26
Like I've camped out and on the East Coast where it's super
9:30
fucking humid and the whole fucking bit, it is exhausting.
9:33
But when there's an energy of like your favorite artist and
9:38
you're like right there, I can't imagine not giving them that
9:44
energy. It just seems like no one
9:47
fucking cared in the crowds for most of these performances.
9:51
I'm sure there was many, many people that were super excited.
9:54
And I'm seeing videos of people that are like excited amidst
9:57
everyone who's not. But I think it's really
10:00
difficult when the majority of a crowd is dead to then bring up
10:03
the energy. Like, I think when the vibe is
10:06
set by, I think, influencers, I think everyone else is like
10:12
feeling that energy and then it's hard for it to continue
10:14
through the crowd. Do you know what I mean?
10:17
And also, have you guys ever seen videos of like, Glastonbury
10:20
or like Lollapalooza in South America or like Copacabana, like
10:25
Lady Gaga Copacabana? There were millions of people.
10:29
Let me check. Yes, millions of people
10:32
estimated to be there and they were all fucking dancing.
10:35
It's just such a crazy difference and this wasn't
10:40
always what Coachella was. Here's my theory.
10:44
I think influencers literally set the energy level bar so low
10:50
that even all the other attendees can't make up for the
10:54
energy sucking that influencers take out of Coachella.
10:58
And as an influencer, I don't. I won't even say I'm an
11:02
influencer. I can't imagine going there,
11:06
having everything paid for you and still giving nothing.
11:11
I can't understand it. And I do think that's half of
11:15
the reason. But I also think the other half
11:17
of the reason why Coachella felt so dead from the crowd and the
11:21
people that it seemed like this should be for is because of
11:25
phone culture. Even if you're not an
11:27
influencer, I think there's a lot of people that are like, oh,
11:30
this little clip of what I'm taking of Madonna and Sabrina
11:33
Carpenter could go viral. And I'm going to prioritize the
11:35
potential virality of this clip over my actual lived experience.
11:41
And I think that that's really sad.
11:43
I think there's an element of like, yes, you paid so much
11:46
money for this experience, you want to document it.
11:49
How much are you actually going back and watching your own
11:51
footage? When I was at Taylor Swift era
11:54
store front row, I would like make sure I got like a few
11:57
clips. But like I wanted to prioritize
12:00
the possibility of making eye contact with her, which I did.
12:03
And I felt like I made eye contact with her multiple times
12:05
because so many people around me had their phones up and she
12:09
couldn't connect with someone who has their phone up.
12:12
Or maybe she just left me. I think the phone culture and
12:14
then the possibility of becoming an influencer has altered the
12:18
experience of Coachella, especially Coachella because it
12:22
is financially powered by influencers and brands more so
12:27
than any other festival that is more so based on the music.
12:30
Why do I think influencers ruined Coachella?
12:33
First of all, when there is so much money around influencing
12:38
and the brands that send influencers there, it then
12:41
raises the prices of everything because they know really rich
12:45
people are going and can afford things.
12:47
So then it means that the fans that actually would maybe give
12:50
the energy that the artists want can't even afford to go the
12:55
fucking money required. Bitch, if you're not camping, my
12:59
sister used to live in Palm Springs.
13:01
All those places are super super jacked up during Coachella.
13:06
And not only that, if you're staying in Palm Springs or in
13:09
that valley, it is going to be really difficult to transport
13:12
yourself. So you have to pay for
13:13
transport. Meanwhile, most of those houses
13:16
are being taken up by brands that send people and are paying
13:19
for them. So now we have these two very
13:22
different types of people, The people that are probably camping
13:25
because they probably can't afford to go to Coachella.
13:28
And when I say they can't afford it doesn't mean these are like
13:30
poor, poor people. It just means like literally
13:32
most people in the world are not going to be able to fucking
13:36
afford the cost of the ticket plus the houses, plus the
13:40
transportation, plus the airfare to get there.
13:43
We're talking thousands of dollars.
13:45
It's not like 500 total. Like the amount it takes to rent
13:49
a house is extreme. So now we have people that are
13:53
camping that are probably more likely tired, that can't make up
13:56
for the bad energy that influencers are giving, you know
13:59
what I mean? Even if people maybe didn't want
14:02
to camp, maybe they couldn't be able to afford a hotel in the
14:05
valley. So now you're fucking tired,
14:09
even if you didn't want to camp. And then the people that are
14:11
staying in houses aren't giving the energy and I don't know why.
14:16
I don't get it. Isn't your whole thing as an
14:19
influencer to be like influencing people to have fun?
14:22
And again, it comes back to this culture of cool and a culture of
14:27
trying not to look cringe because of this phone culture
14:30
we're seeing. I don't think influencers want
14:32
to look like they're living free and dancing because someone's
14:35
going to record them. Meanwhile, it's actually kind of
14:38
ironic because the recording of them not dancing is even more
14:41
embarrassing for their brand because it's like, why did Poppy
14:46
send you to Coachella for you to look miserable?
14:49
These brand trips in the houses are getting out of control.
14:53
It's actually become like a joke now of every fucking brand is
14:57
sending people and the same fucking people, the same fucking
15:01
people. Cammy Scott, lesbian YouTuber,
15:03
we love her, we know her, she's my diva.
15:06
She and a bunch of like other LA lesbians.
15:08
And by the way, they're all content creators, podcasters,
15:11
etc. They didn't even get sent by a
15:13
brand and they made a joke that they were sponsored by like
15:16
Vagisil. It was so fucking funny, but
15:18
it's like people believed it because every single fucking
15:20
brain is sending people because it's literally not even real
15:24
fans of music going. It's kind of like a work trip at
15:27
this point. It's more so a fashion event
15:29
than even a music event. And people are so focused on
15:32
looking hot that they can't even enjoy themselves.
15:34
And it's really sad. It's genuinely fucking sad.
15:37
With Revolve Fest and Rode an 818 partnering and having a
15:42
little 818 bottle and the fucking lipstick on top of the
15:45
drink. And then the Starbucks pop up
15:47
and we're not even going to go into the controversy surrounding
15:51
Bran and Starbucks. OK, I'll say one thing.
15:54
Just because you don't like Trump and you're an influencer,
15:57
it doesn't mean you're a political activist and you don't
15:59
know more than people on the Internet.
16:01
Stop being condescending to people that actually know just
16:04
as much as you. You're not smarter or better
16:06
than everyone else just because you're famous.
16:08
Moving on, all of these little micro events are almost taking
16:12
over more so than the actual event of Coachella.
16:15
And at what point are they going to become more relevant?
16:19
And all the money is more so there than even the artist.
16:22
And then we're not even going to get good artists at Coachella
16:24
because why are they going to put five months into training
16:28
and coming up with a great set when no one's even dancing to
16:31
their songs? It seems like these artists are
16:33
catering. There's performances more so for
16:37
like people at home and like people that are at home that
16:41
actually care about these artists more than they are for
16:44
the fans. And then at that point, are they
16:46
just going to release a video and a music video?
16:49
Like why are they going to spend their time going to Coachella if
16:52
no one fucking cares in the audience?
16:55
Like, if the whole idea is Coachella is going to be this
16:57
insane concert, but you don't even feel the energy of the
17:00
people there screaming back at you, why are they going to
17:04
Coachella? At what point does Coachella
17:07
just turn into Coachella Fashion Week?
17:09
Apparently. Also, the food stands were like
17:11
empty at Coachella because everyone's on Ozempic and these
17:15
people are probably getting money to spend towards eating
17:19
food there and they won't even eat it.
17:22
Like there's free food events and people aren't even eating
17:25
the food because they're not eating.
17:27
I mean, there's so many issues wrapped up all in one.
17:30
Yeah. I just feel like the true spirit
17:32
of Coachella is fading, which is music and community and like,
17:37
it's an indie concert. Fashion was always relevant, but
17:41
it was more so in the boho scene where it was like, naturally
17:45
kind of like your expression and like outfits you would wear in
17:48
the desert. And now it's not even for being
17:53
there, it's for taking a picture by the pool, going to the Justin
17:57
Bieber set and then going home. Like that's not even what
17:59
Coachella is. And I understand this is not
18:02
like actually a huge problem, but like, don't we want to
18:04
preserve American culture? When I really started to notice
18:08
how dead the crowd was was when I was watching Sabrina Carpenter
18:11
set, how many people she brought out and literally none of them
18:15
really garnered a reaction. She brought out so many famous
18:18
people, people from the industry that are fucking A listers.
18:22
And I don't know, again, if it's Gen.
18:25
Z and I'm sorry, Gen. Z that doesn't know these people
18:29
that were at their peak maybe 1020 years ago, they're still
18:32
famous. It's like literally were you
18:33
born 3 years ago? I don't know how people don't
18:36
know these people or why they aren't reacting.
18:39
Like, or is it because they're like old and they're not
18:41
reacting? Or is it because it's just
18:43
influencers in the crowd that are trying to act?
18:45
So cool. Like Will Ferrell came out.
18:47
I feel like people actually thought he was a janitor, like
18:50
what? Sam Elliott?
18:52
Did people even care? Do they even know it was him?
18:55
Terry Crews, Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon came out on two
19:00
different weekends and it was Sabrina doing a major, major
19:05
call back to Thelma and Louise. Which matches all the vibes of
19:08
Sabrina. Kind of like Sapphic.
19:10
By the way, Thelma and Louise is like lesbian core Sapphic
19:14
country hating men like in a car speeding off in the desert.
19:19
It is iconic Sabrina Carpenter vibes.
19:22
I felt like no one gave a fuck. Also guys, I saw Susan Sarandon
19:26
at a restaurant in New York and it was fucking awesome.
19:30
I didn't like say anything but she was surrounded by like all
19:33
these gays and like they were like chatting it up and it was
19:35
so iconic. Anyways moving on.
19:37
It's like no guest would have garnered a reaction.
19:41
I felt like unless it was maybe another under 26 year old famous
19:46
person, but even then I feel like no one fucking cared.
19:51
And I don't know if it's because the whole crowd is already
19:53
famous and so they don't really care and maybe that's really the
19:56
problem. And then weekend 2 happens.
19:59
I know a lot of people have been saying this but I really do
20:01
think there were two separate coachellas.
20:04
Weekend 1 was influencer Coachella, Weekend 2 was real
20:07
Coachella. I still felt like there was a
20:11
lackluster energy when it came to the crowd, but I do think it
20:17
was less so phone culture. But the amount of guests that
20:21
came out during weekend too was actually crazy.
20:24
I'm gonna list off all of these fucking iconic guests that
20:29
artist brought out because it's actually insane how many came
20:31
out. A lot of people were saying, Oh
20:33
my gosh, weekend ones gonna be pissed.
20:36
Weekend one is mostly influencers that are paying to
20:39
be there for the first weekend so they can have the first look
20:43
at these sets. But I actually think it's
20:45
completely fair for weekend 2 to get all of the surprise guests
20:49
because they would have already seen the sets online and they
20:54
deserve a surprise too. You know what I mean?
20:56
We have fucking Madonna, which was thoroughly iconic.
21:02
She hadn't played Coachella since exactly 20 years to the
21:05
day. I thought her and Sabrina
21:07
Carpenter's voices melded completely perfect.
21:11
Also, if you guys didn't know, not to be annoying and talk
21:14
about another celebrity, but I did used to live across the
21:16
street from Madonna in New York. I could like kind of see in
21:20
through her windows just because they were open.
21:22
I didn't like look with a binocular or anything.
21:25
I never saw her on the street, but she I could see her like
21:28
going in and out her black SUVs and it was just a super amazing
21:32
time. But anyways, Madonna and
21:35
Sabrina, so fucking iconic pink Panthers brought out Zara
21:38
Larsson. That was crazy and I can't
21:41
believe they didn't add her. Like she had a major year there
21:45
was enough time to add her. So where was Doji?
21:47
Olivia Rodrigo was brought out by Addison Rae, which we will
21:51
get into. Dizza was brought out by Justin
21:53
Bieber. Camila Cabello was brought out
21:55
by Young Thug. Holy fuck her version.
21:58
I mean, she already sang Havana, but riffs that she added.
22:03
There are people that I literally don't think I've ever
22:05
heard of Camila Cabello. It had only been like a few
22:07
years since she's like been releasing stuff.
22:10
People act like it was 20 years ago.
22:12
But yeah, get hip, guys. Camila Cabello, we need more of
22:15
you. She's so fucking good at
22:18
singing. Joe Jonas was brought out by
22:19
Teddy Swims, and he's saying when you look me in the eyes,
22:23
you the crowd, it's like they were waiting in line for
22:27
something else. They were like, you guys are
22:30
hearing when you look me in the eyes with Teddy Swims.
22:32
Why aren't you freaking out? I'm just, I'm appalled by it.
22:36
Big Sean was brought out by Justin Bieber.
22:39
Billy Eilish. OK, that was actually a very
22:41
iconic moment. I feel like was the one moment
22:43
that the crowd actually did fucking care about.
22:45
Maybe because she's younger than 25.
22:47
Sexy Red was brought out by Justin Bieber.
22:49
So yeah, I do think Weekend 2 had way better energy from the
22:53
performers. The crowds grew better and maybe
22:57
that's because they weren't influencers or maybe not as many
23:01
influencers. However, I feel like the crowds,
23:05
even when they were better, weren't still not as excited as
23:10
you would expect, specifically at Sabrina Carpenter's.
23:14
Here's the theory that I've come up with.
23:16
I think these big hype artists, Justin Bieber, Sabrina
23:20
Carpenter, these major, they're not having just the cult fans.
23:23
Obviously a lot of these people are fans, but now that someone
23:26
is famous, you're obviously are like, oh, I'm going to go to
23:28
Sabrina Carpenter's show. She's super famous and she's the
23:31
big hot thing. But then you're not singing
23:34
along because you just like want to be there because it's Sabrina
23:36
Carpenter. So that's the energy I was
23:38
getting. But when you bring out fucking
23:41
Madonna and people are still not screaming, take two second
23:46
video, put your phone down and connect with Madonna.
23:50
She's right there. I guess my question is like, are
23:53
people even fans of the big artists that they go to see?
23:56
Or did they just go to say that they went and post a video?
24:00
Even the people that are not influencers, don't you want to
24:03
have fun? I'm worried.
24:05
I'm worried, guys, I don't want this to be how we treat artists
24:09
just going because they're famous.
24:11
Donna had a literal iconic speech they don't think people
24:14
are paying attention to. And then Sabrina called it out
24:17
in her Instagram. She was like, thank you Madonna
24:19
for like giving us advice or something.
24:22
I'm going to read Madonna's speech.
24:23
She says, quote, I have a few things I want to get off my
24:26
chest. She's so witchy.
24:28
And for that we love her. She says.
24:29
I also want to point out that this is the new moon of Taurus.
24:33
And she says we need to work on our communication skills.
24:36
We all think we're talking to each other on the phone, but
24:38
we're not really communicating. So we need to work on that.
24:41
And it's like fucking talk to each other.
24:44
And I know that's rich for me to say because, like, I'm on the
24:46
Internet. But I also think we think that
24:49
we're communicating just like Madonna said, but we're not
24:51
really. She also says the other thing we
24:53
need to do is avoid confrontations.
24:55
Like, so true. Let's stop fighting, OK?
24:58
She says. Let's try to avoid
25:00
disagreements. And to that point, the great
25:01
thing about music is that it brings people together.
25:04
Are you guys listening in the crowd?
25:05
Not you guys, The people in the crowd, I feel like they're just
25:08
like, I'm like, no, listen, listen to what's on.
25:11
I feel like her speech really sums up my issues with Coachella
25:15
and why I feel like influencers have ruined the vibe and
25:20
therefore made other people, even the people that aren't
25:23
influencers, feel embarrassed to dance and to feel carefree and
25:28
cringe. The fear of being cringe is I
25:31
think what's making people not want to have fun and then also
25:35
then want to have a viral video. Genuinely I think is why phone
25:40
culture especially is so bad at Coachella.
25:43
It's like people want to get close to the artist, not to get
25:46
close to the artist, but to take a video.
25:48
OK, now I want to talk about the artists of note, like the big
25:51
time artists and what I think of all their performances.
25:54
I did say that most of the artists I thought signed, sealed
25:57
and delivered and gave so much the performances.
26:01
Some I have concerns about. Like, I do think Coachella, like
26:05
I said, is a test to see how artists can do when they are
26:10
performing for a crowd that isn't obsessed with them and
26:13
then like how their career is going to go after that.
26:16
Like sometimes Coachella makes or breaks an artist.
26:19
I feel like Frank Ocean, and I know he was dealing with a lot,
26:22
but when he headlined his performance, I think maybe hurt
26:27
him and his career a lot because it let a lot of people down.
26:31
Now when it comes to Sabrina Carpenter, I think this took her
26:35
to another level of fame that that like I didn't even know she
26:38
needed to get to. I think for a lot of people that
26:41
maybe didn't see the hype or thought she was just kind of
26:44
like froofy and singing espresso were really blown away by the
26:49
performance. It was so different from her
26:51
other tours. Not just like the outfits and
26:55
not just the dancers, but I think her media literacy and her
26:59
Hollywood knowledge. The amount of people that she
27:03
threw into the show, it was not just random, it was specific.
27:07
You can tell she really cherishes art and like Broadway
27:11
and old Hollywood movies. It was a story from the
27:14
beginning to the end of her like going to Hollywood and
27:19
recording, having a breakup and then like relishing in her own
27:24
career. That was like the story, the old
27:26
Hollywood story we saw. I think she perfectly creates
27:30
performances and vibes for each song.
27:33
That makes people like each song even more, if that makes sense.
27:38
Like sugar talking highlight of the fucking Coachella weekend,
27:43
the way that they choreographed that and just the vibes they put
27:46
around it. Even like her blue sweater and
27:49
the 80s and my man on willpower with the wind and the treadmill.
27:53
It's just perfectly curated for the vibe of each song.
27:58
And if you've been listening to this podcast for a while, you
28:00
know I wasn't obsessed with fans best friend immediately.
28:04
Coachella really made me relook at man's best friend.
28:07
And now I'm obsessed because now I can see it with a dance number
28:11
with like a set and understand like the story of it a lot more.
28:14
And just like even the music behind it, I'm like, Oh my gosh,
28:19
it's just so amazing. I could go on and on and on
28:22
about Sabrina, but I won't bore you guys.
28:24
I just thought it was incredible.
28:26
She wants to be up there, and that's what's so important.
28:30
You want to watch an artist that wants to be there and she loves
28:35
her fucking job. She gives it 110%.
28:38
She has a natural stage presence and also because she has the
28:40
history of being an actress. I think she performs so well and
28:44
tells a story so well. It's really believable.
28:47
I just, she was so good. Now on to Justin Bieber.
28:50
Like I said before, I didn't really love Weekend One's
28:53
performance. I thought it was clouded by him.
28:55
Searching stuff on YouTube, I think I get the idea that it was
28:59
supposed to be intimate. You want to feel like you're
29:01
connecting with him. I understand the idea, the
29:03
intimate. What I didn't like is that it
29:05
felt like it wasn't planned. Like at least have the YouTube
29:09
videos ready to go, you know what I mean?
29:12
Like he's searching it and like, this is stressful.
29:15
I do think weekend too. His confidence really built up.
29:18
He was able to like, sing with more, I don't know, confidence.
29:22
It just seemed like he wanted to be there more.
29:24
I did feel like his crowd was obsessed, and maybe that's
29:28
because people love men or he hasn't performed in a long time
29:32
or influencers were actually excited and dancing for him.
29:36
Maybe influencers hate Sabrina. I don't know why.
29:39
Maybe they just wanted to dance because Hailey Bieber was there.
29:42
I don't know. But I thought we can too.
29:45
He was amazing. Another headliner, Carol G Carol
29:49
G just brought the fucking energy and Carol G is the first
29:52
Latina to ever headline Coachella and apparently she is
29:56
now going to do it to her. She also brought up Becky G
29:59
Becky GI think leave your fiance or boyfriend because he cheated
30:03
on you. But also your tea.
30:06
They just delivered the Strokes. I don't think people are talking
30:10
enough about the Strokes. The Strokes are just, they're
30:13
pure music, right? And I think the people that are
30:15
going to the Stroke set, they're there for the love of Coachella.
30:19
They are there for the fucking music.
30:21
And there's a few artists that I want to point out that I feel
30:23
like are there with a cult following.
30:25
Not saying cult following in like a niche way because I don't
30:28
think that these artists are niche, but the people are going
30:31
because they actually love the music.
30:34
And so The Strokes are very political.
30:36
And they ended their set with a video denouncing the CIA, the US
30:42
and the Israeli government. Like, right.
30:45
Like that's what we wanted to see.
30:46
So like, fuck yeah. Pink Panthers.
30:49
I think she has an amazing voice.
30:52
Like how she sounds live and also how she sounds when she
30:55
does other versions of her songs is like, literally identical to
31:00
the studio version she wrote out.
31:01
Zara Larsson again, when she came out, people were freaking
31:05
out, but still not to the level that I think people need to.
31:09
Sorry. I'm sure she will be pretty high
31:13
up in the ranks next year. Speaking of someone who I think
31:17
is probably going to headline next year, Olivia Rodrigo.
31:20
Olivia was brought up by Addison Rae.
31:22
I know people were kind of confused about this friendship.
31:25
Apparently they've been friends for a long time.
31:27
For the first time, Olivia Rodrigo performed her new song
31:30
Drop Dead. I liked it a lot in the
31:32
beginning. It's a little underwhelming.
31:34
It doesn't feel like major, major hit in my opinion.
31:38
It seems a little hard to perform.
31:39
I don't think she, like, killed it, sue me.
31:43
But I do love Olivia and I'm excited to see what she comes
31:45
out with next. Addison Ray.
31:48
I love Addison Rae. I also just like worry for her
31:53
when she's on stage. And I don't think that's how you
31:55
should feel when an artist goes on stage.
31:58
Like I'm always worried that she's going to trip up or
32:00
something. Do you know what I mean?
32:02
I know she's very green in the industry and that's probably why
32:06
I really respect her hustle and I really think she dances
32:10
incredibly. She has a stage presence that is
32:13
that I really don't think you can argue with.
32:15
Her singing is not up to, I don't know, it's not up to the
32:19
level I think you need to have at Coachella.
32:23
I think she has a set that is very conducive for the night
32:27
time. During the daytime.
32:29
It felt a little jarring. Not that I think she should have
32:32
had a set at night because that means she's at the top of the
32:34
ticket. Her hair was kind of weird.
32:36
I don't know. I think Coachella kind of threw
32:38
me off, but I understand it's like a huge moment for someone
32:42
who hasn't really been like in specifically the music industry
32:46
for a long time. I know she's been famous for
32:47
like a long time. I think she needs a little bit
32:50
more work, but I don't doubt that she can like get there.
32:53
OK, then Cat's Eye and maybe I just need to do a whole podcast
32:58
or something on Cat's Eye. I am so confused by Cat's Eye.
33:02
I think it's really interesting when you have a group, and I
33:06
know this is like the concept of a lot of K pop and people think
33:10
they're not really K pop, whatever.
33:11
But when you have a group that you know isn't writing or
33:15
controlling most of what they do, that's really weird because
33:19
most artists, we like, look at them as like singer songwriters
33:22
and like having creative control and they're kind of being
33:25
controlled by their label. And so that concept makes it
33:28
hard for me to like, obsess over them.
33:32
I think they're really, really young and they were thrown into
33:36
this with horrible songs and oftentimes bad fashion.
33:42
And then the whole Manon, I think that's her name being
33:45
kicked out of the group. It's giving racist.
33:48
I mean, she was the only black member and then she came out, I
33:51
forget who said, but she was a guest on someone else's set.
33:55
So clearly she's OK to be on stage.
33:58
I don't think this was her fucking choice.
34:00
The whole thing is weird and that has put a bad taste in my
34:04
mouth. I don't think she's coming back
34:06
and I think she's gone. I think she should come out on
34:09
her own solo. But yeah, like Cat's Eye, I
34:12
think they really struggle vocally and maybe it's because
34:16
their songs. A lot of it seems really
34:19
immature to me and maybe that's why I can't connect with it.
34:21
Some of it I think is iconic, but like, I'm losing the iconic
34:25
part and I'm lately only getting the immature part.
34:29
I think they need a louder backtrack so they don't have to
34:32
rely on their vocals because at this point they just need it and
34:35
it's just going to be really interesting to see what happens
34:37
with Cats Eye. They obviously have a huge fan
34:39
base. It's falling short for me.
34:41
It's really falling short. Seema OK, Do people know her?
34:46
She is so fucking iconic. I think that she is another one
34:49
of those artists where like people were revving up for her.
34:53
Her audience was lit and she said she played certain songs
34:57
for Weekend 2 because she heard Weekend 2 wasn't going to
35:00
happen. Influencers And that's how I
35:02
know I'm right. I just feel like people were
35:04
rolling up for her for the music.
35:06
Slater. I don't know much about Slater
35:08
before this weekend, but I'm thoroughly impressed.
35:10
And I think this is what Coachella is supposed to do is
35:13
like bring attention to artists that maybe have like cult
35:16
followings that other people, you know, aren't really hip to.
35:19
Like me, I wasn't hip to Slater. And like, now I am Young Thug,
35:23
OK. I thought Young Thug was awesome
35:25
and I love that he brought out Camila Cabello.
35:27
But like, what was so funny is during his set, he like
35:31
apparently sees Northwest and he's like, make sure Northwest
35:35
is OK there, like N, like stay safe.
35:37
Like N is a preteen. She probably shouldn't be
35:41
unsupervised in the crowd. And like, maybe Kim was there.
35:44
I don't know, man. Just kind of funny that he like
35:47
shattered out Northwest like on stage.
35:49
So those are my thoughts. I think Coachella artistry wise
35:53
fucking killed it this year and I felt like there was a
35:56
resurgence and people caring about the music on one end and
36:00
then on the other end I feel like part of it is dying because
36:04
it could really go down the wrong path.
36:06
If we lose normal people that can attend Coachella and it
36:10
literally it becomes 100% an influencer event which seems
36:14
like weekend one kind of is. At this point.
36:16
I don't know how they're going to continue on or why artists
36:19
would continue to go perform there for such mid crowds.
36:23
I if I was a mega artist, I would just go international
36:26
where people actually gave a fuck.
36:28
So that's my tea, that's my shade.
36:30
Let me know if you guys agree what artists you think killed
36:34
it, what artists you think did not and we will see in the next
36:37
year who continues to slay and who does not.
36:40
A reminder to please subscribe on YouTube.
36:42
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mean to me. If you've listened this far and
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you have not subscribed on Spotify or Apple, that's just
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mean. Again, I'm releasing some more
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