Charli XCX’s Desert Rave, Bernie Sanders’ Clairo Intro, and More Highlights From Coachella Day Two

The first day of Coachella was full of theatrics and surprises, thanks to a show-stopping headlining set from Lady Gaga and guest appearances from people like Brian May (who joined Benson Boone onstage). The second day had a lot to live up to, but luckily, tons of artists on the lineup had fans excited and ready for more.

The most-anticipated act, a quick glance across the festival grounds seemed to suggest, was Charli XCX, since droves of people showed up in brat-green outfits, ready for the singer’s desert rave party. Her set was one of the most intensely energetic ones, with appearances from Lorde, Billie Eilish, and Troye Sivan. Those weren’t the only guests of the night: Fans had been waiting for Clairo to come out when Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders made a surprise appearance and rallied the crowd with a charged political speech. “”The future of what happens to America is dependent upon your generation. Now, you can turn away and ignore what goes on but if you do that, you do it on your own peril,” he said.

Other highlights included Green Day’s career-spanning headline set and Travis Scott’s special midnight performance, plus moments with Japanese Breakfast, Sam Fender, and more. Here are all the best things we saw and heard on the second day of the festival.

Charli XCX

Charli XCX delivered a high-energy Coachella set that hinted at the possible end of the Brat era. As the sun began to set, she performed fan favorites from her chartreuse-colored album. Troye Sivan was the first guest of the night, joining her for “Talk, Talk” while wearing a white “Protect the Dolls” t-shirt, likely a response to Trump’s attacks on transgender people. Later, Lorde dramatically emerged from the center of the stage’s runway to duet “Girl, So Confusing” with Charli. Billie Eilish appeared for the “Guess” remix, Charli dedicated “Everything Is Romantic” to her partner George Daniel, who was in the audience, and she pointed out Quen Blackwell, Gabbriette, and Alex Consani to lead the crowd in the “Apple” dance. The performance was Brat af, only featuring “Unlock It” and “Track 10” from Pop 2 and a cover of Icona Pop’s “I Love It. “ —T.M.

El Malilla

Reggaeton fans made a pilgrimage to the Sonora stage Sunday night to see El Malilla, who made history as the first reggaeton Mexa artist to perform at Coachella. The musician delivered a sexy and sweaty set, turning the stage into a Mexico City nightclub with call-and-response moments that kept the crowd hyped. Wearing a custom jacket by Mexican designer Siete Cactus, he ran through all his hits, including “Beiby” and “Mami Tú,” and closed with the fitting “Todo Tiene Su Final.” Earlier this week, he told Rolling Stone the performance was a life-changing moment, hoping everyone would walk away saying, “I loved El Malilla at Coachella.” —T.M.

T-Pain

One of the most anticipated sets of the day, in addition to Charli XCX, was 2000s hero T-Pain, who got one of the most heartfelt, enthusiastic reactions at the festival. For a lot of people, his set was about reliving the glory of the 2000s :Dressed in an outfit that somehow felt futuristic while evoking an elegant time traveler, he played club hits like  “I’m N Luv (Wit a Stripper),” “Bartender, and “Low,” to the delight of fans, who danced and sang along in the sweltering heat. —Julyssa Lopez

Sam Fender

Backed by his energetic band, U.K. rocker Sam Fender moved through his anthemic songs like some kind of Springsteen apostle, from his stadium-worthy cut “Seventeen Going Under” to the title track from his latest LP People Watching. With just a few Marshall and Fender amps behind him and wielding a black-and-white striped electric guitar, Fender’s rollicking performance felt like a rush, bursting with electricity from his crew, larger-than-life sound, and the passionate fans that filled into the Mojave Stage for his late afternoon Saturday set. Fender summed it up best: “This is fun, isn’t it?” —John Lonsdale

Alok

At Coachella, Alok delivered a futuristic — yet deeply human — performance at the Sahara stage, joined by 50 Urban Theory dancers whose robotic-style hand choreography continually wowed the crowd. Known for high-tech shows filled with drones and lights, Alok instead highlighted the importance of soul in art. He mixed tracks by Lana Del Rey and Tove Lo with his own releases as trippy visuals played onscreen. Toward the end, Ava Max hyped up the audience with a remix of “Sweet but Psycho,” dramatically cutting her hair to revive her iconic Max Cut. The set ended with the message “Keep Art Human” onscreen, marking a career-defining moment for the Brazilian artist. —T.M.

Clairo

Before Clairo kicked off her Coachella set on Saturday night, Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost brought Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders on the stage for one of the festival’s most memorable moments of Weekend One. “I’m here because Clairo has used her prominence to fight for women’s rights, to try to end the terrible, brutal war in Gaza, where thousands of women and children are being killed,” Sanders told the crowd. “So I want to thank Clairo not only for being in a great band, but for the great work she is doing.” As for Clairo’s set, the singer-songwriter delivered a stunning performance backed by her stellar band and a Roland synth, glasses of wine by their sides for grooving cuts off her latest LP Charm like “Juna,” to a rocking “Amoeba.” Great work, indeed. —John Lonsdale

Japanese Breakfast

This year marked Japanese Breakfast’s third time at Coachella, but something about the band’s show at the Outdoor Theatre on Saturday felt completely new and refreshed. Part of it could be that the group, led by effervescent frontwoman Michelle Zauner, was playing a lot of the material from their gorgeous and gutting new album For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women) in the desert for the first time. The set was upbeat, styled like a clam shell in the middle of a wavy ocean, and Zauner bounced around gleefully onstage, but that energy was juxtaposed with the deep emotion in songs like “Orlando In Love” and “Picture Window.” All of it made for a happy-sad combination that packed a wallop and made for one of the best sets of the day. —Julyssa Lopez

Travis Scott

Travis Scott’s Coachella performance changed up the main stage experience for his after-midnight set: The Houston rapper performed from a rising circular platform amid the crowd, while the main stage, with its brutalist decor served mainly for his opening brass ensemble and brief appearances from Scott. The set featured hits, surprises, and high-energy moments, including The Weeknd’s vocals and a Drake mashup. Scott closed his performance with a high-energy run of hits — playing “FE!N” twice, delivering “Sicko Mode” with a horn intro, and following up with “Goosebumps” and “Telekinesis” as he moved through the crowd at the end of the night. —T.M.

Weezer

Weezer may have not been on the Coachella bill when the lineup first got announced, but their packed Saturday afternoon set proved to be one of the most-anticipated shows of Day Two. All four members of the group made it to stage for a 3:10 p.m. slot, opening with “My Name Is Jonas” behind a large W logo and playing a greatest hits-worthy run of tracks that fans knew every word to, from a cover of Metallica’s “Enter Sandman,” to “Beverly Hills,” “Say It Ain’t So,” and wrapping with a rocking “Buddy Holly.” “When Coachella called us up,” said ‘Hey, Weezer, can you guys make it up for a surprise appearance?’ We were like, ‘Heck, yeah!’” frontman Rivers Cuomo told the crowd in the middle of their set. —John Lonsdale

The Dare

Shortly after 11 on Saturday night, The Dare invited everyone at Coachella over to the Mojave Stage for a desert rager. Between Green Day and Travis Scott’s headlining sets, the dance music star kicked up the energy dressed up in a suit and tie and black sunglasses as stacks of Marshall amps and spotlights blasted behind him to the beat of the music for a set that featured not-yet-released tracks like “Cheeky” to hits like the closer “Girls.” “Are you ready to have a good time?” he asked the crowd at one point in his set. The answer: hell yeah. —John Lonsdale

Green Day

By the time the California rockers took the main stage at 9 p.m., the crowd was completely fired up. The band dove headfirst into a high-voltage rendition of “American Idiot,” all while fans screamed along to every word. From there, they hit all the classics from their catalogue, including a thrashing version of “Minority,” “Basket Case” and “When I Come Around.” The setlist was built with back-to-back blows that served as a reminder of the band’s longevity and staying power through the years. —Julyssa Lopez