Frank Ocean has polarizing Coachella set, may have been due to ankle injury
Sunday marked Frank Ocean's first live festival performance in almost six years.
Frank Ocean was arguably the most anticipated set at Coachella 2023. However, his first performance received mixed reactions; an injury may have brought it on.
Sunday was Ocean’s return to Coachella after a six-year hiatus from live performing, according to Variety. He was due to headline the California music festival in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic shut the festival down. When he pushed his announced 2022 headlining set to this year, fans were anxious to see the singer-songwriter again.
The anticipation took a turn when it was announced that Coachella would not live stream Ocean’s set, as it did with earlier artists. Concertgoers were speculating if this decision was because the Grammy Award winner would preview new music. Ocean hasn’t dropped an album since 2016’s “Blonde.”
Ocean’s set started late, nearly an hour after its scheduled time. When he emerged, it was after people were walking in a circle on the platform for five minutes, and he and his band was so far back on the stage and obscured by big video screens it was hard to see the singer.
Ocean performed reworked versions of songs like “Novacane,” “Pink + White,” and “White Ferrari,” but reportedly talked a lot between the tracks. The atmosphere shifted again when an unannounced DJ set began, leaving many fans puzzled.
While many are still scratching their heads at what they saw on Sunday, reports circulate stating Ocean injured his ankle during on-sight rehearsals the week before. His injury may have led to several preplanned production elements to his set, including an ice rink and skaters, being nixed.
Ocean will perform his second set on April 23.
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