By Mariel Turner
8:29am PDT, Apr 8, 2019
In 1999, promoters Paul Tollett and Rick Van Santen co-founded a two-day event in the California desert — the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. Twenty years later, Coachella has grown into a can't-miss two-weekend festival and pop culture celebration full of over-the-top performances featuring a wide range of musical genres that grosses more than $100 million a year. In celebration of Coachella's 20th anniversary, Wonderwall.com is counting down some of our favorite Coachella headliners, starting with Jane's Addiction at No. 21. Back in 2001, promoters were frantically searching for a headliner (few wanted to take on the gig at the time). Jane's Addiction frontman Perry Farrell eventually agreed to reunite with his band and headline Coachella, but his last-minute entry made for a somewhat forgettable performance. Keep reading to see which Coachella headliner comes in at No. 1!
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No. 20: Beck, 1999
Beck was one of the first musicians to ever headline the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. He performed at the inaugural show in 1999 and rocked the house. However, his simple stage design impacted his overall performance, leading to a lower ranking on our list.
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No. 19: Bjork, 2002
Bjork made music history when she became the very first woman to headline the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. She did a great job in 2002, but other performers brought a little more heat to the show.
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No. 18: Drake, 2015
Anticipation was high for Drake's 2015 Coachella performance, but the rapper didn't live up to the hype. He delivered some of his biggest hits and killed it, but the long lapses in between songs left fans disgruntled and annoyed.
No. 17: Oasis, 2002
Oasis put on an awesome show at the 2002 Coachella music festival. Even though singer Noel Gallagher told Rolling Stone the performance was " very much just a gig in a field," Oasis's appearance helped to legitimize Coachella as a serious international music festival. However, Noel and brother Liam's offstage antics and discord — the brothers famously hate each other — overshadowed their performance.
No. 16: Outkast, 2014
Fans couldn't have been more excited to learn that Andre 3000 and Big Boi of Outkast were reuniting at the 2014 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. The duo put on an amazing show, but their long breaks in between songs hurt their overall performance.
No. 15: Rage Against the Machine, 2007
Rage Against the Machine left quite an impression when they performed at the 2007 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. The band, which was reuniting for the first time in years, performed all of their biggest hits, but their show was mainly meant to draw attention to what they felt were the failings of President George W. Bush's administration. In fact, lead singer Zack de la Rocha briefly stopped the performance to voice his opinions on Bush, saying, "This current administration… should be hung and tried and shot, as any war criminal should be."
No. 14: Red Hot Chili Peppers, 2013
The Red Hot Chili Peppers put on a stand-out performance at Coachella 2013, considering the weather. The rock band was forced to deliver their set during an intense sand storm, leaving the audience coughing and gasping for air. The crazy weather negatively impacted frontman Anthony Kiedis's vocals, but they persevered.
No. 13: Radiohead, 2004
Radiohead also rocked out under less-than-ideal conditions at the 2004 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. The band was forced to perform in 100-degree weather — the hottest Coachella on record — but still managed to put on a quality show.
No. 12: Beastie Boys, 2003
The Beastie Boys thrilled audiences when they appeared at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in 2003. The hip-hop legends performed some of their biggest hits and their appearance is even more sacred now: Adam "MCA" Yauch sadly passed away from cancer in 2012.
No. 9: Coldplay, 2005
Coldplay put on a flawless performance at the 2005 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. The band, fronted by Chris Martin, delivered some of their biggest hits such as "Clocks" and introduced audiences to what would become one of their best known songs, "Speed of Sound."
No. 10: Kanye West, 2011
Ah, Kanye West in his prime. Long before his infamous concert rants, Kanye was a force to be reckoned with on the stage. The A-list rapper killed his set at the 2011 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, performing all the songs we've come to know and love with the most intricate set design the festival had ever seen. He even had an entire ballet company to back him up! Impressive.
No. 9: JAY-Z, 2010
JAY-Z made history when he headlined the 2010 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, becoming the first solo rapper to do so. The iconic music mogul performed all of his hit singles backed by a live band of horns, keyboards, guitar, bass, two drummers and turntables — and there was a surprise appearance by his amazing wife, Beyonce.
No. 8: Arcade Fire, 2014
Arcade Fire headlined a high-energy set at the 2014 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. The band showed off their rebellious spirit with a faux Daft Punk intro before launching into a string of their hottest songs.
No. 7: AC/DC, 2015
"I hope you guys like rock 'n' roll," Brian Johnson told the crowd, "because that's all we do." AC/DC came back with a vengeance when they performed at Coachella in 2015 after a six-year hiatus. The historic band left it all on the stage during their two-hour set — a breakout performance during a time in which Coachella had begun to shy away from headlining rock acts.
No. 6: Lady Gaga, 2017
Lady Gaga proved why she is one of the best when she performed at the 2017 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. The future Oscar winner was tapped to perform after Beyonce dropped out due to her pregnancy with twins. Many artists might shy away from filling in for Queen Bey, but not Gaga! She brought her A-game and blew us away with her great vocals, awesome choreography and vivid set design.
No. 5: Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, 2012
Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg brought us right back to 1995 when they performed at the 2012 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. The former labelmates performed their biggest hits including "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang" and "Still D.R.E" and brought out Eminem, 50 Cent, Wiz Khalifa, Kendrick Lamar, Kurupt, Warren G and a holographic version of late rapper Tupac Shakur! Talk about a superstar performance.
No. 4: Paul McCartney, 2009
Paul McCartney can do no wrong as far as we're concerned. The Beatles musician performed an emotional medley of hits spanning his 60-year career at the 2009 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival including "Hey Jude" and "Let It Be." Paul was so into his performance that he actually went over the festival's strict curfew by 54 minutes — and we still were left wanting more.
No. 3: Prince, 2008
Prince is considered one of the best artists of all time for a reason. The late musician's performance at Coachella in 2008 is legendary, thanks to his amazing artistry. His set included some of his most iconic songs like "1999," "Little Red Corvette," "Purple Rain" and "Let's Go Crazy" as well as a surprising number of covers including a now infamous eight-minute cover of Radiohead's "Creep."
No. 2: Daft Punk, 2006
OK, so technically Daft Punk wasn't a Coachella mainstage headliner — they headlined the Sahara Tent in 2006 — but we'd be remiss if we didn't praise this unbelievable performance. In fact, Daft Punk's set was so amazing that it's often cited as one of the most memorable in the festival's history. More than 40,000 people tried to squeeze into a 10,000-person tent to see the EDM duo perform their greatest hits on a pyramid-shaped electronic stage. Iconic.
No. 1: Beyonce, 2018
As if there could be any other option! Beyonce's history-making, show-stopping 2018 Coachella performance is No. 1 thanks to her insane stage presence, flawless choreography and powerful vocals. Queen Bey paid homage to black culture as she performed, sharing the stage with sister Solange, husband JAY-Z and former Destiny's Child members Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams during her set. The musical icon also became the first black woman to headline Coachella — plus her set was the most viewed Coachella performance on YouTube ever, with 41 million viewers. Bow down, indeed!
