SAN DIEGO (KSWB) — Frank Ocean will not be returning to perform at the second weekend of Coachella after fracturing his leg on the grounds of the festival, according to media reports.
This comes after fans expressed disappointment on social media over the singer’s performance during the last day of the three-day festival’s first weekend in Indio.
Apparent lip-syncing, Ocean’s low energy, the primetime set’s hour-late start and abrupt end all sparked criticism by festivalgoers who quickly took to social media to voice their sadness.
Reports earlier this week indicated that this likely was caused by last-minute, major changes made to the production — specifically, the sudden removal of an ice rink and dozens of skaters in the hours before Ocean was set to go on.
In a statement to Variety, a representative for Ocean said that the singer sustained a leg fracture on festival grounds leading up to Coachella. Because of that, he was “unable to perform the intended show but was still intent on performing, and in 72 hours, the show was reworked out of necessity.”
Ocean, in the statement, noted that what lead to his performance was “chaotic,” but continued saying: “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.”
Read the full statement from Ocean and his representatives here.
Following Ocean’s performance Sunday night, online searches for “Coachella refund” skyrocketed, according an analysis of Google search data. “Sell Coachella tickets” also increased significantly as fans began to rethink attending the second weekend.
While no replacement has been announced yet by festival organizers, Blink-182 is the likely contender to assume Ocean’s spot as the third day headliner, according to multiple media reports.
Ocean’s performance at Coachella on Sunday was his first concert since 2017. The rapper, who is the first openly gay musician to headline at Coachella, was previously slated to lead the festival in 2020, but the show was postponed due to COVID-19.
