After his headline set at last weekend’s Coachella received a mixed response from fans, Frank Ocean has cancelled his scheduled performance for the festival’s second weekend this Sunday, 23rd April.
A statement from a representative for Ocean, shared by Variety, says that the singer suffered an injury to his leg on festival grounds in the week leading up to last weekend. He was hence “unable to perform the intended show but was still intent on performing, and in 72 hours, the show was reworked out of necessity.”
Blink-182 Will Reportedly Replace Ocean at This Weekend’s Edition of Coachella
“On doctor’s advice, [Ocean] is not able to perform weekend 2 due to two fractures and a sprain in his left leg,” the statement continues. It concludes with a message from Ocean himself about last weekend’s set: “It was chaotic. There is some beauty in chaos. It isn’t what I intended to show but I did enjoy being out there and I’ll see you soon.”
Coachella have yet to officially confirm Ocean’s cancellation. According to Variety, Blink-182 – who made their surprise return with Tom DeLonge at last weekend’s edition of the festival – will replace his headline slot.
It was recently reported that, prior to last weekend’s set, Ocean sustained an ankle injury, and changed the stage design of the performance on medical advice, including scrapping a planned ice skating rink onstage.
Ocean’s set last Sunday began an hour past scheduled start time, and was one of the only performances that weekend that was not live-streamed via Coachella’s official YouTube page, causing some frustration among fans not present at the festival.
When he did come out, Ocean explained that he was performing in tribute to his late brother Ryan Breaux, who died in a car accident in 2020. He then performed reworked versions of songs including ‘Novacane’ and ‘White Ferrari’. The set ended abruptly, with Ocean telling the audience it was past noise curfew.
Ocean’s withdrawal marks the second consecutive year a Coachella headliner has dropped out of the lineup on late notice. Last year, less than two weeks before the festival took place, headliner Kanye West cancelled his planned performance. He was replaced by Swedish House Mafia and The Weeknd.
Coachella returns for its second weekend from tomorrow, Friday, 21st April. Bad Bunny and BLACKPINK are also headlining the festival, with other drawcards including including Gorillaz, Rosalía, Björk, Burna Boy, Kali Uchis and Boygenius.
Further Reading
Frank Ocean Fans Are Convinced a New Album is Coming
Frank Ocean, Bad Bunny and BLACKPINK to Headline Coachella 2023
The Weeknd And Swedish House Mafia Replace Kanye West On Coachella 2022 Lineup
