We’ve just recovered from covering the two back-to-back weekends of 2012′s Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival, and the 2013 dates have already been released. The festival will once again occupy consecutive weekends, taking place April 12-14 and April 19-21 in Indio, California. For those who missed out on tickets last year (and there were many of you, as Coachella’s first weekend sold out almost immediately), advance passes will go on sale beginning Thursday, May 17th at 10:00 a.m. PST and ending Thursday, May 24. Head to the official site for more info. How many holograms do you think will appear at next year’s festival? We can’t go back now!

It’s been 12 years since the late Tupac Shakur has appeared on the Billboard 200 chart, but thanks to his virtual resurrection at Coachella this year, the rapper’s album and song sales are also back from the dead. Since his 2D projection hit the stage during the festival’s first weekend (Apr. 15), ‘Pac’s 1998 Greatest Hits release has reappeared at #129 on the album chart, up 571% in sales with more than 4,000 copies sold. “Hail Mary” — Tupac’s last single, released in 1997 off The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory — was downloaded more than 13,000 times last week, up a staggering 1,530% since his CGI effigy opened with it on stage alongside Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre. “California Love” and “2 Of Amerikaz Most Wanted” also made substantial gains. [via Billboard]

People-watching is as much a part of the Coachella experience as is enjoying your favorite band perform in the California desert. (Or, you know, waiting in line for 104-degree weather for a seven dollar strawberry lemonade.) This year’s colorful cast of characters did not disappoint. From an inflatable Frankenstein costume, to a group dressed as crayons and flowers, there were fanny packs and a homemade deadmau5 headpiece and a gentleman in an Elmo mask. We pretty much saw it all, and had we not captured it with our cameras we would’ve sworn we were suffering from heat stroke. Check out 20 of our favorite WTF looks from some of the most creative costumes and getups at the 2012 Coachella Music Festival.  

Music lovers reconvened for round two of the 2012 Coachella Music Festival despite the 104-degree heat. Those who braved the elements for Weekend 2, were treated to a polished set by Frank Ocean, a dance party from Afrojack and a sing-along with chart-topper Gotye. While Rihanna and Usher were no-shows this time around, Sia made a guest appearance during David Guetta‘s set, and the man — er, hologram — of the festival, Tupac Shakur, returned for his grand (and final) performance on Sunday night. And though it is now time now us to put away our beaded headbands and tend to our sunburns, you can check out all the action from Coachella 2012′s last stand by clicking the gallery above. Catch you next April!

Coachella‘s experiment in cloning itself seems to have worked. As we headed down the home stretch on the third and final day of the California music festival’s second consecutive weekend (which featured the same lineup as the weekend prior), it was clear that there were more than enough fans to support multiple installments of the festival. It was next to impossible to get close up to see The Weeknd‘s soulful, seductive afternoon set. So many fans showed up for Gotye that hundreds were left outside the tent where he performed, and dozens just sat on the grass blocking a main festival thoroughfare. And since by Sunday most everyone had heard or seen images or news of the Tupac hologram, it seemed like the entire festival turned its attention to Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg‘s headline set. What’s next? Three weekends? Details delow.

The final — no, for real final — day of Coachella’s 2012 edition began on another blisteringly hot afternoon, where Santigold hit the main stage to kick out jams from her brand-new album Master Of My Make Believe. And her catalog of eccentric hits has earned her genuine respect. As the Los Angeles Times noted, Santigold was one of the few artists to play in the full sun and 104-degree heat and still draw a massive crowd.

That was much less a problem a few hours later for The Weekend (real name: Abel Tesfaye), who drew a huge throng to his performance as he worked out his falsetto amid sultry atmospherics. Abel, sporting an Oakland Raiders cap, drifted through “House Of Balloons / Glass Table Girls”, “Wicked Games” and assorted other boudoir-ready jams. Fans held up panties in the air (which, if we’re being honest, you could hardly see through all the, ahem, potent smoke). At least one young lady upfront was openly weeping. And rising-star rapper A$AP Rocky was in attendance. The Weeknd had good reason to feel victorious afterward, except that he tweeted: “i definitely cannot feel a damn thing…” Had to be the natural euphoria, right?

Elsewhere, Gotye also had fans in the palm of his hand as he sailed through the eclectic songs from his Making Mirrors album. With a crowd that extended well past the opening of the huge Mojave tent, Gotye didn’t need Kimbra to sing with him on “Somebody That I Used To Know” — instead it became a towering sing-along.

Coachella, Weekend 2 in photos

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Though Sunday generally lacked the Hollywood star power of the first weekend (which included surprise appearances by Rihanna and Usher, along with a slew of celebrity attendees), Florence + The Machine‘s enchanting performance attracted two major stars: Twilight‘s Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart showed up to watch Flo knock out “Dog Days Are Over” and other hits. Introducing “Rabbit Heart”, Florence took extra effort to make sure the ladies in the crowd had a clear view. “This is for the ladies,” she said. “I want to see girls on shoulders. Be strong, boys.”

But there was really never any question about what the biggest moment of the night would be: the second appearance of the Tupac Shakur hologram, the highlight of Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg’s main stage performance. It had been a running joke all weekend, and Sunday was no different. (When reunited post-rock act At The Drive-In took the stage, singer Cedric introduced the band saying, “Hi, we’re Jem & the Holograms.”) In fact, despite the fact that music fans had seen the hologram once, Sunday’s night’s re-run was still must-see. Avant-pop artist Feist even helped coin a new nickname for the hologram in explaining her absence. “Bummed we have to miss FauxPac tonight with Snoop and Dre” she tweeted.

The real thing, however, didn’t disappoint. After (non-)surprise guest appeances by Wiz Khalifa and 50 Cent, a sequence of lightning and thunder sound effects ushered in the return of hologram Tupac, who (as with the previous weekend) “performed” “Hail Mary” and “2 Of Amerikaz Most Wanted” with Snoop to thunderous applause.

How will Coachella top itself in 2013? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter or in the comments.

Stifling desert heat blasted Coachella for a second straight day, but you’d hardly know it from the music festival’s dance tent, where shirtless bros and bikini-clad ladies reveled in 100-degree heat like it was just another Saturday. In some ways, it was — considering that the same artists had performed on the same stages just a week earlier. (Festival organizers are throwing a curveball this year by offering an identical lineup on back-to-back weekends). But the tent also held one of the day’s biggest surprises, courtesy of David Guetta (again). Details on all of Coachella’s Day 2 performances below.

The day kicked off with a commanding performance from Azealia Banks, who — in the brief seven days since her previous Coachella performance — picked up powerful new ally (she hired Lady Gaga‘s manager Troy Carter) and some colorful additions to her wardrobe. Sporting a black pleather romper and a neon orange fishnet top, the “212″ rapper ripped through her increasingly popular jams. But then came perhaps the most poignant moment of her set: a cover of the retro classic “Valerie”, made famous by Amy Winehouse. Winehouse performed “Valerie” at Coachella in 2007 — in the same tent, no less.

Winehouse wasn’t the only long-gone artist who was somehow resurrected Saturday. In a nod to the buzzy 2Pac hologram unveiled last week by Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, punk pranksters The Black Lips brought a cardboard stand-up of slain rapper Notorious B.I.G. at their daytime set. (Funny, we weren’t expecting to see Biggie til next year, based on the all-hologram Coachella poster.)

Across the way in the dance zone, DJ and Madonna collaborator Martin Solveig took control with a late afternoon set that drew a capacity crowd, including a certain Joe Jonas. Joe even tweeted that Solveig is “my hero”.

Here’s a Jonas-eye view of the show:

Solveig spun an impressive range of artists, including Skrillex, Gwen Stefani’s “What You Waiting For?” and — in what we can imagine was a respectful nod to his competition? — Calvin Harris’ “Feel So Close”. Harris performs his own set on Sunday. Think he’ll spin some Solveig beats?

The other big mystery of the day in the dance tent was whether, or how, David Guetta would top last weekend’s performance, when he brought out Usher to perform “Without You”. This time, Guetta first made it appear like he would simply let his own performance speak for itself, and that he would end with the same song, minus Usher. Instead, he said: “Before I go, I have a little gift. It’s going to be my new single in America, and it’s one of my favorites I’ve ever done”, and introduced Australian firecracker Sia, who came out to sing on her collaboration with Guetta, “Titanium”. (We should have guessed she’d be coming out after she dropped hints with this tweet earlier in the week). Their performance brought the house tent down.

david guetta will not play at your house

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While Guetta was still spinning, avant-pop auteurs Miike Snow took the stage across the field with an elaborate light show that served to keep the band at least partially in shadow (the way they like it). When singer Andrew Wyatt hinted at a surprise guest, however, most of their fans already knew who it was: Lykke Li, their sultry fellow Swede, who joined for “Black Tin Box” as she did last week.

What surprises still lay ahead for pop fans at Coachella? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter or in the comments.

(Photo via Josh Fogel)

Friday marked a particularly strange day in the nearly 13-year-old experiment that is the Coachella music festival: just a week after many of music’s biggest artists performed on five different stages scattered across the event’s lush green performance site… the same artists hit the same stages to do it all again. “Good to be back,” joked Dan Auerbach, singer-guitarist of swampy rock act The Black Keys, as they began their set. “It’s been so long.” (Call it deja-blues all over again.) The deliberate repetition created awkward moments for certain artists — but most fans didn’t seem to mind that they were essentially seeing a re-run. Who did we traverse the desert to see this week (besides Afrojack, pictured above)? Details below.

As much as Friday felt a little like Coachella’s version of Groundhog Day, it did hold one key difference. Where last Friday shocked concert-goers with downright chilly temperatures, gray skies and even light rain, this week represented a return to traditional Coachella weather: blazing sunlight and punishing 100-degree-plus heat. That might’ve had more artists sweating through their performances, but it left them no worse for wear. 

Wallpaper., who earned acclaim for their mid-day set last week, kept their sense of humor intact ahead of their second go-round. “#Coachella has begun #rickyreedisreal #102degrees”, singer Ricky Reed tweeted Friday afternoon, adding a photo documenting the band’s drawing power.

Of course, we already knew they could do that.

What was in question, however, was whether the numerous guest stars who made Coachella weekend 1 really, um, pop, would show up to repeat their cameos.

Will Rihanna re-appear to join Calvin Harris for “We Found Love”? (And if not, is there still time for us to request that Cheryl Cole come out to sing “Call My Name”?). We think it’s unlikely, but you never know. 

calvin harris actually doesn't need any help hijacking your ears

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And will Usher return to team up with super-DJ David Guetta? That also feels like a longshot, but as The Hollywood Reporter notes, there are plenty of other Nothing But The Beat collaborators who might make sense as Coachella guests, including will.i.am, Jessie J and Jennifer Hudson.

50 Cent, who performed last Sunday with the Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg revue along with that expensive Tupac hologram, is also considered doubtful as a return performer.

We’ll have to wait to see.

And when there were surprises, they were minor in comparison to last week’s mega-star cameos. Butter-smooth R&B sensation Frank Ocean delivered a more polished set than last week, when he was plagued by sound problems, and this time supplemented his live band with a special guest, guitarist Mike Einziger of rock band Incubus. (And even the Black Keys, who referenced the weirdness of repeating themselves, mixed things up by bringing out legendary rocker John Fogerty to join them for a song).

Ocean did offer up a couple of other happy surprises: a new song, rumored to be called “Forrest Gump”, and a cover of Lauryn Hill‘s “Tell Him”.

Watch Frank Ocean cover Lauryn Hill’s “Tell Him”

 The remainder of Friday went more or less as planned/previously performed. Kendrick Lamar put on a furious afternoon set, again bringing out his Black Hippy crew as he knocked out rhymes from his Section.80 collection. (Though SPIN says he was briefly upstaged by his cohort Jay Rock, who spit verses while backflipping).

And Dutch dance maestro Afrojack returned with another heavenly set in the Coachella dance tent, where once again he was cheered on by his girlfriend, Paris Hilton. (Paris tweeted that the DJ, whose real name is Nick van de Wall, ”made @Coachella dance like I’ve never seen before!”)

Never, we presume, since last week.

Do you think booking the same lineup for two weeks in a row is a wise idea? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter or in the comments. 

(Photo via Josh Fogel)

This week we said goodbye to a pioneer in music, radio and television, while another legend, from the world of hip hop, was resurrected on stage at Coachella. Meanwhile, Nicki Minaj bid adieu to Twitter, Gotye came from overseas and conquered the singles chart and Lionel Richie climbed to the top of the album chart for the first time in 26 years — despite his current tax woes. Head below to see how these music makers (and others) ranked on our weekly Pop & Fizz roundup!

To see exactly how these artists entered the hype index, check below.

• Tupac Shakur Rises From Dead, Performs With Snoop Dogg At Coachella
• Dick Clark Dead At 82 From “Massive Heart Attack”
• Gotye And Kimbra Top Hot 100 With “Somebody That I Used To Know”
• Did Nicki Minaj Quit Twitter?!
• Rihanna Goes Topless In Hawaiian Vacation Pics
  
• Lionel Richie’s Tuskegee Becomes His First #1 Album On The Top 200 In 26 Years
• Nelly Furtado’s “Big Hoops (Bigger The Better)”: Listen
  
• Azealia Banks’ 1991 EP Delayed … Again
  
• Rihanna, Adele & Raphael Saadiq Make Time 100 Most Influential People List
  
• Kelly Clarkson, NKOTBSB & The Wanted To Headline MixTape Festival 2012
  

How did this week’s chart stack up for you? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter or in the comments.

Avicii is one of the newest acts to surface in today’s current renaissance of electronic dance music, and he’s already breaking records: The 22-year-old producer/DJ is the first EDM artist to headline an arena tour. His popularity has no doubt been pumped up by Flo Rida‘s hit song “Good Feeling“, which samples his song “Levels”. And if you were at Coachella last weekend like us, you know that “Levels” was inescapable, being played by pretty much every artist performing in the Sahara tent — including Avicii himself.

The Swede — whose real name is Tim Berg — may also have gotten his name out there by finding himself at the epicenter of a few controversies involving Leona Lewis and Madonna, who appeared during his set at Ultra Music Festival and made some comments interpreted as promoting drug use (though she later denied that claim). See what he had to say about those sticky subjects and more in our Q&A below.

Idolator: How did it feel to perform at your first Coachella?
Avicii: It was amazing. I’ve been wanting to perform there for ages, so to finally get there was really cool. With the new production and with everything. Everything went according to plan.

Do you have any big changes lined up for Weekend 2?
This first week we premiered part of the production, and we couldn’t premiere all of it. So we’re going to premiere almost all of it this week, and then all of it for the arena tour coming up.

EDM is entering the mainstream more and more. What are your thoughts? Are you glad to see pop acts like Nicki Minaj and Madonna embrace electronic dance and collaborate with DJ producers like yourself, or would you prefer to keep it out of the mainstream?
I don’t see anything negative about it being in the mainstream. I just see it as a way for more people to discover the music. So I don’t see what would be wrong with that. For me, it’s obviously amazing the way it’s taken off. I haven’t been doing this for that long, and even for me for just a couple of years, it’s grown. And how it continues to grow now – it’s really remarkable.

That’s right — you’re only 22, and you’re one of the biggest electronic acts right now. How did this happen so quickly for you?
I got started when I was about 18 years old. It all became serious when I met my manager, and that’s when it took off and started getting to the level where it’s at now. I’ve been very fortunate with the people I work with and the opportunities I’ve been given.

Watch Avicii’s “Levels” mashed-up with Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used To Know” at Coachella 2012 (and keep watching to hear his remix of Robyn‘s “Hang With Me”):

There was some controversy between you and Leona Lewis regarding her single “Collide“, that used your song “Penguin” without permission. Can you tell us what happened?
The thing that happened there… We already knew [Leona and her team] were going to do something with the same sample that I used [Penguin Cafe Orchestra's "Perpetuum Mobile"]. That was what I was expecting. But there’s nothing I can do about that, and it’s a shame that it was going to go up against my own single at the time. But I can’t morally tell them not to do that, because it’s not my melody to begin with. But then when the track came out, it wasn’t that they took the original sample and did something new and made their own track with it. It was just kind of my track already there.

I didn’t use a sample — I reproduced and took inspiration from the original melody and made a new song from it. I changed the rhythms, I changed a lot of stuff in it, and they kind of took all of that work. And that was the problem from the beginning. We worked it out, and I got credit on the track, and they already approached us before about Leona being featured and singing over my version. We just didn’t like the vocal that much, so we decided not to go with it, and then that happened. In the end, it all worked out.

Madonna made an appearance during your set at Ultra Music Festival. How did that come about?
I travel so much, I barely have time to even stay in the loop, it’s very hard for me to stay in the loop. So I found out it was going to happen a couple weeks prior [from my manager], and that I was going to do a remix [of "Girl Gone Wild"], and she was coming out, and we were premiering the remix and she was introducing me at Ultra. And it’s amazing. One of the biggest musical icons, and I’ve grown up with her music, everyone has. That was definitely a big honor and a really big thing for me to have her up there on stage.

Her appearance drew a bit of controversy after she made those “molly” comments. Do you have any opinion on what she said?
Not really. I didn’t take it serious at the time. I didn’t read too much into it, and I haven’t really kept myself up to date with any intrigue in the scene. To me, I never really cared, to be honest. I didn’t see it as a big thing.

There are so many amazing pop and dance acts that come from Sweden — Robyn, Miike Snow, The Knife, Lykke Li and you! Is there something in the water over there? Sweden seems to be leading the pack in terms of accessible but experimental pop.
It is, I really think it is. And it has for a long time. A lot of the pop producers out there are from Sweden. I think it has to do with the fact that you’re surrounded by that in Sweden. You’re surrounded by so much talent and so much good music, that everyone’s standards just get higher. I think that’s the biggest explanation for that.

Catch Avicii performing in the Sahara tent Sunday night during Coachella’s final weekend, as well as on his upcoming arena tour.  

Coachella was raging more than ever this year with the large array of electronic artists taking over the Polo Fields. Justice and Girl Talk comandeered the larger stages, while the dance tent overflowed with dance fiends ready to party rock to the likes of David Guetta Avicii, and Martin Solveig, who has been spinning tunes and releasing albums for a decade now, but came on the radar in the past year with the help of a hit with Dragonette called “Hello”. Most recently, he brought a range of sounds and rave-worthy styles as one of Madonna‘s main producers on MDNA.

Solveig, who hails from Paris, shook the Sahara tent on Saturday night, remixing songs like fun.’s “We Are Young” and Daft Punk’s “Harder Better Faster Stronger”, and caused an eruption with his own tunes “Hello” and “The Night Out”.  Even better than taking in his euphoric bangers? Getting to speak to him personally right after. Take the jump for our chit-chat with the French knob-twiddler.

Idolator: Hi, Martin! I’m Becky from Idolator.
Martin Solveig: Idolator! I love it! It’s impossible to pronounce when you’re French.

Don’t worry, a lot of Americans can’t pronounce it either.
That’s what’s cool about it!

I absolutely loved your set! But why didn’t Dragonette join you for your hit “Hello”? She played the Mojave tent earlier today.
I know why. She was answering questions for guys like you! So it’s your fault she didn’t make it!  [Laughs.] But I’m going to try to see if it’s possible for her to jump up next week. It’s so rare that we are at the same place at the same time. That would have made sense.

That song was huge all over the globe. Is that when things really took off for you?
It definitely took things to a different level, especially in the US, where I was pretty insignificant before. But it changed it all. It became a platinum record, which is crazy! And it also coincides with the time of a great positive revolution for electronic dance music in general in the US. So I’m glad to have had my little share of that, to make awareness of [dance] music in the US. In Europe, it’s been up for a longer amount of time. If I may say, it’s such a pleasure to play in the US. I don’t know how to put it differently. The consideration for the electronic artists is so much bigger here.

You worked extensively on Madonna’s MDNA, and now you’re joining her on several dates of her world tour. 
Everything I’ve had the chance to do with her, it’s crazy. Crazy good. Such a great experience to share a little bit of time with her.

Did she call for you? How did you end up working together?
She decides a lot, especially on the artistic level, she decides everything on her own. Yeah, she made the decision. I was part of a list of potential guys, and her manager called me and said, send over some stuff, we’d like to listen to it, we’re interested. And that was it. The first sessions went very, very well.

Was it intimidating working with her?
Very, very. Of course! If you’re not intimidated in front of Madonna, it means… of course it is. But she’s very relaxed, especially in a studio. After a few days, we started to simply collaborate as artists collaborate together.

Madonna caught a bit of heat from some EDM artists (like deadmau5 and Paul Van Dyk) for her “molly” comments at Ultra Music Festival. What are your thoughts about what she said?
I said everything I have to say about that. Which is that… I said everything. I said it to MTV, so I’m not gonna do any follow-up comment. It’s certainly not my role to comment on what she said.

[For the record, Solveig told MTV: "She's a lot more ironical than a lot of people think, and ... she has this dry sense of humor, which sometimes makes her say or do things that are a little bit shocking, which is also the reason why everyone loves her."]

It can’t be denied that there is a strong drug presence at electronic music festivals — even here at Coachella. As a DJ and producer in that world, what are your thoughts: Should EDM artists embrace the reality? Distance themselves from it? Or not comment at all? 
I’ll be straight and one hundred percent honest with you: I’ve never used even the slightest bit of drugs in my whole life. Maybe I smoked like one joint when I was 18, that’s my drug experience. So I feel pretty bad to talk about it, because I don’t know shit about it. I’ve been in this electronic music world for 15 years, and I can just say that I’ve enjoyed every bit of it without drugs. No one has really offered me. I’m not the right person to talk to about this.

martin solveig says "hello" to coachella 2012

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How does it feel to play your first Coachella?
It’s absolutely… the site is very impressive, with the mountains. It’s so beautiful. Look at the lights! You could travel here just for sightseeing, and then in the middle of that, you have crazy installations, crazy artists … Honestly, I basically said to my manager in the US that the Coachella spot is a gift, so, thank you. I was so true about that. I just wish I could have brought my girlfriend, she would have loved it … But I’m trying to play good sets so they want me next year!

As you may have noticed, Coachella can be a really weird place. What’s the weirdest thing you’ve seen so far this weekend?
I’ve seen a couple of looks that were pretty intense. I’ve seen a finger belt.

A… finger belt?
Finger belt. It’s a belt made of fingers. It’s pretty crazy. And it’s really well done, so you can’t really tell if they’re real or fake fingers.

Did you happen to see that blow-up doll rocking out to your set?
Yeah, well, that’s classy! You would admit, the finger belt is a bit more edgy.

Martin Solveig’s EP The Night Out, out now. His full-length US debut Smash is due later this year. And he can be seen live on Saturday at Coachella, and on select dates of Madonna’s MDNA World Tour.

Katy Perry said her follow-up to the uber-successful Teenage Dream would be “real fucking dark” — and someone’s already up for the job to turn Perry’s peppy bubblegum pop into some dark (or at least purple-hued) territory. Electro-pop outfit M83 spotted the singer dancing up a storm during their set at Coachella this past weekend. ”I think I saw Katy Perry dancing on midnight city yesterday night,” M83′s Anthony Gonzalez wrote, referencing the band’s single. “Katy, let me write your next album:).” Hey, Katy might be on board with this proposal — not only was that her dancing in the Mojave tent Friday night, she tweeted after his set, “M83 ONLY.” We say go for it! It’s not like you’ve got Dr. Luke in your back pocket anymore. [Via PopJustice]

Tupac Shakur‘s surprise appearance at Coachella on Sunday (Apr. 15) has concert promoters calculating such a stunt’s profitability — even if it only was a 2D effigy of the murdered rapper. Following news Tuesday that Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg may bring ‘Pac’s hologram along on an upcoming tour, a mock Coachella poster hit the web, featuring a lineup full of dead legends who could be resurrected on stage using the same technology. Though we take issue with the prioritization of some of the acts — Jimi Hendrix below Drowning Pool!? — we’d actually jump at the chance to see The Beatles and Elliott Smith on the same bill. Head below to read the full back-from-the-dead roster.

Friday:
Michael Jackson, The Doors, INXS, Nirvana, Joy Division, Queen, Dio, Patsy Cline, Frank Zappa, Rick James, Pantera, James Brown, Johnny Cash, Elliott Smith, Ray Charles, Aaliyah, The Notorious B.I.G., The Cramps, Alice In Chains, Isaac Hayes, Big L

Saturday:
The Clash, The Ramones, Drowning Pool, G.G. Allin, T-Rex, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Lynyrd Skynyrd, John Denver, Buddy Holly, Nat ‘King’ Cole, Nico, Snot, Jay Reatard, Big Star, The Grateful Dead, Jeff Buckley

Sunday:
Mozart, Marvin Gaye, The Beatles, Muddy Waters, Miles Davis, The Allman Brothers Band, Selena, Blind Melon, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Bob Marley & the Wailers, TLC, Tiny Tim, Janis Joplin, Captain Beefheart, Clarence Clemons, Proof, Hank Williams, Rodney “Rappin’ Rodney” Dangerfield, Jesus

“There might be an exciting surprise during my Coachella set later,” Calvin Harris tweeted to fans before his set on Sunday night (April 15) during Weekend 1 of Coachella. Given that the Entertainment Weekly-named Dance-Floor Director has collaborated with a slew of artists this past year, including Ne-Yo, Scissor Sisters, Kelly Rowland and Kelis, we had no clue that it would be Rihanna who would grace us with her presence .(Though spotting the Battleship babe’s BFF Katy Perry in the front row should have tipped us off).

Watch Calvin Harris’ Coachella performance of “We Found Love” with Rihanna below, and “feel so close” to the action.

Rihanna and Calvin Harris — “We Found Love” (live at Coachella)

Did Calvin and Rihanna stop Coachella from being a hopeless place? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter or in the comments.

Obviously, the defining moment of the first weekend of Coachella 2012 was seeing Tupac Shakur raised from the dead. The incredibly life-like hologram of the dearly departed rapper (who was shot to death in 1996) appeared halfway through Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre‘s all-star, jam-packed headlining set, stealing the thunder of pretty much everyone else on that stage. (That’s no easy feat, mind you.) But 2Pac’s jaw-dropping materialization wasn’t the only memorable moment from Sunday’s events – head below to find out who else turned the Polo Fields into a musical wonderland.

MOST MINDBLOWING: The Tupac hologram, of course! We all heard the rumors that both Nate Dogg and Tupac Shakur would show up during Dre and Snoop’s set via hologram, but when Nate Dogg’s song and shout-out came and went without 3D technology, we figured they were just rumors. NOPE. Tupac arrived, alright, and it took me practically the length of his (its?) performance of “Hail Mary” to realize that wasn’t just a dude up there lip-syncing Tupac’s rhymes. Despite the WOW factor of this moment, it was also pretty sentimental — if Tupac had been alive, he would have been up there with his pals. Though I can see how some could find Snoop rapping with a virtual image of his deceased buddy kind of creepy, I thought it was a touching way to bring him back and give him the posthumous opportunity to play Coachella.

BEST CAMEO: Tupac again, though he had some heavy competition by the rest of Dre and Snoop’s possee. Eminem killed his three songs with Dre (“Forget About Dre” was especially a crowdpleaser), Wiz Khalifa made a chill appearance with Snoop on their stoner flick tune “Young, Wild & Free”, and 50 Centstayed around long enough to bust out his own hit, “In Da Club.” Kimbra must have taken the same plane from SNL to Coachella as Gotye, as the two performed their ubiquitous song “Somebody That I Used To Know” to an enraptured audience. Rihanna also made quite a memorable appearance during Calvin Harris‘ set, but more on that below. Watch Eminem and Dre rock the main stage below:

COACHELLA’S MOST SOCIAL BUTTERFLY: Kendrick Lamar wound up performing on the main stage every single day of the fest – he impressed during his own set on Friday afternoon, dropped in at Childish Gambino‘s gig on Saturday, and teamed up with Dre on their new single, “The Recipe”. 

BIGGEST PRODUCT PLACEMENT: When the lights went down and a humming sound began, everyone got excited for the start of Snoop and Dre’s headlining set. But all that turned out to be was a “Powered By Dre” message on the main stage’s screens, because a businessman like Dre doesn’t pass up an opportunity to promote his company! There was also a Beats By Dre lounge on site, where you could slap on some insanely expensive headphones, put on some 3-D glasses, and recline on a vibrating bench while watching a band play the main stage. (Particularly helpful if you wanted a reprieve from Friday night’s bitter winds or Sunday afternoon’s harsh sun.) 

MOST META: While playing their hit song “D.A.N.C.E.” (while colorful neon glowstick continuously popped into the air above the massive crowd like fireworks), Justice slipped in a sample of Jay-Z‘s “On To The Next One”… which happens to sample Justice’s “D.A.N.C.E.” Well done, French dudes. 

MOST CONVENIENT FOR ME: I left Justice’s raging set at the main stage to check out Calvin Harris in the Sahara tent…. who was playing Justice’s “We Are Your Friends” the moment I arrived. What fortunate timing! 

FLOWER POWER: This gigantic, animatronic flower showed up on Day 3. Yes, there is a guy operating it from inside the petals. I could have used that vantage point during Florence + The Machine‘s stellar performance at the Outdoor Stage, since I was so far back I could barely see the top of her red hair on the screens. 

FOR THE LADIES: Florence + The Machine, who delivered a powerful, haunting set (all the while twirling around the stage like a music box ballerina), demanded that all the women get on the shoulders of “all the strong gentlemen in the house” for her Lungs track  ”Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up).”

MOST SUPPORTIVE: Purple-hued Katy Perry, who was front and center for her chica Rihanna’s two-song appearance (“Where Have You Been” and “We Found Love”) at Calvin Harris’s set. And RiRi gave her friend quite a show! 

“Katy Perry! Make some noise for my main bitch in the house tonight!” screamed Rihanna to the crowd, who was clearly going bonkers over the amount of pop superpower in the Sahara tent at the same time. Watch RiRi’s full appearance below: 

WORST SCHEDULING: For dance fans, choosing between Justice, Girl Talk and Calvin Harris was beyond annoying. 

THE SONGS I HEARD THE MOST ALL WEEKEND: Avicii‘s “Levels” and Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used To Know”. Either by themselves (both Avicii and Gotye played the festival), remixed into other songs, or mashed-up with each other. I am also sure it is mandetory for every act in the dance tent to play at least one Daft Punk song during their set.

JUST HOW BAD WAS EVERYONE’S DANCING AT COACHELLA?: This bad.

THE WORST THING EVER: I’ve been covering Coachella for Idolator for three years now, and only realized on the last day of my third year that there is a separate VIP/Media entrance and exit that cuts your waiting time entering and leaving the fest by about 80%. GROAN. Well, at least I know now for next year!

Check out our recaps from Day 1 and Day 2 from the first weekend of the fest. And make sure to head to Idolator on Friday for all the scoop on Coachella’s Weekend 2! 

coachella: a rapper's delight

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Who could’ve imagined that the ghostly resurrection of a tragic and legendary figure would be the breakout story of Coachella 2012? Nick Smith, president of AV Concepts, the company the created the life-size Tupac hologram that appeared on stage alongside Dr. Dre, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa and Warren G at the desert music festival on Sunday (Apr. 15), probably did. The stunt was four months in the making and, according to Smith, probably cost somewhere from $100,000 to more than $400,000 to produce.

He tells MTV News:

“I can’t say how much that event cost, but I can say it’s affordable in the sense that if we had to bring entertainers around world and create concerts across the country, we could put [artists] in every venue in the country.”

Smith was careful not to reveal too much of the magic behind the hologram’s creation, but confirmed that it was Dr. Dre’s idea to bring ‘Pac back from the dead to perform “2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted” on the Coachella stage.

Though Shakur has been gone since 1996, his new iteration is already up to speed on social media. The Twitter handle @HologramTupac has been active since 11:53 p.m. yesterday, and has already netted more than 7,000 followers.

Watch Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem & Tupac’s hologram at Coachella 2012

Did you think Tupac’s hologram was a spectacular tribute or a creepy exploitation of the rapper’s legacy? Tell us in the comments below, or on Twitter and Facebook.

Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg closed down Coachella 2012 with a sprawling set that spanned throwback G-funk, all-time gangsta classics (thanks to that 2Pac hologram), stoner anthems (thanks to Wiz Khalifa and a blunt big enough to mellow out a rhinoceros) and new jams (like “The Recipe” with Compton’s own Kendrick Lamar). Eminem and 50 Cent showed up too, probably ranking the performance as the most star-studded ever to unfold at the festival. The beats pounded late into the night, filling the desert with one long blast of California Love.

Watch Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg’s Coachella performance below.

Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg kick off Coachella’s final night.

Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg (Live at Coachella, 2012)… by coachellasets

Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, 50 Cent and more perform at Coachella.

Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg (Live at Coachella, 2012)… by coachellasets

Was this the year hip-hop artists outshone everyone else Coachella? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter or in the comments.

[Video via Consequence Of Sound]

Those “Tupac is alive” rumors just got a whole lot more relevant — and way more creepy. That talked-about hologram of Nate Dogg never surfaced, but late rapper Tupac Shakur, who was (allegedly?) gunned down in Las Vegas in September 1996, was projected during Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre‘s set at Coachella last night in the Indio, California desert. Pac spit out his Don Killuminati hit “Hail Mary” solo before pairing up with Snoop for their All Eyez On Me classic “2 Of Amerikaz Most Wanted”. It is hands-down the most talked-about moment from the festival’s first weekend, and it really has to be seen to be believed. Catch it below!

What did you make of 2Pac’s resurrection at Coachella (assuming you believe he ever really left us)? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter or in the comments.

Feist chose Coachella to kick off her new tour, and she did so in grand fashion: she brought a full orchestra to back her on the festival’s Outdoor Theatre stage, where she thrilled fans with Metals songs and her whimsical sense of humor. After playing “Caught A Long Wind”, she mentioned as an aside that it was “an outtake from The Chronic“, a cute nod to Sunday night’s massively tipped headlining performance by Dr. Dre (along with Snoop Dogg, Eminem and some holograms). The Canadian songbird’s appearance represented one of Coachella’s classiest sets so far. (What were you expecting her to do, play Guns N’ Roses and whack a pinata?)

Watch Feist’s Coachella performance of “How Come You Never Go There” below.

What did you think of Feist’s performance? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter or in the comments.

Miike Snow attracted a massive crowd to Coachella’s outdoor stage, where they pumped out slithery, high-BPM jams under an elaborate lighting rig that cast the oft-mysterious band in shadow. Huge applause greeted hits from their debut album, like “Silvia”, but the crowd also seemed psyched for the trio’s latest, Happy To You — and just in case, the band (2/3 of whom, of course, are Swedish producers Bloodshy & Avant) amped up their performance of new jam “Black Tin Box” by bringing out fellow Swede Lykke Li, who features on the track. Along with Swedish indie faves Peter Bjorn and John, Miike Snow and Lykke have also collaborated on a newly formed record label called Ingrid. Why? Because, as the pop faithful know, you can’t mess with Sweden.

“Coachella … will remember this all my life!” Martin Solveig tweeted along with a picture of the jam-packed Sahara tent taken before his set during Day 2, Weekend 1 of Coachella 2012. The Madonna producer (“Give Me All Your Luvin’”) was definitely getting love from the crowd with mixes of Calvin Harris‘ “Feel So Close”. And while we were a bit surprised that Dragonette didn’t appear on stage to lend her vocals to “Hello”, the DJ mixed his hit with fun.’s “We Are Young” for an incredible effect. Makes us wonder what Martin has in store for his upcoming dates on Madonna’s World Tour.