Topics: Coachella, Music, Entertainment
Frank Ocean's headlining Coachella set was changed last minute, new reports have revealed.
According to TMZ, the now-heavily criticized performance was supposed to include 100 ice skaters atop a custom-built ice rink that was supposed to feature as part of the staging for Ocean's set, but was scrapped days prior after the singer suffered a serious ankle injury.
TMZ reports that a casting director reached out to Los Angeles-based ice hockey teams back in March for a paid performance, and when they arrived the skaters saw Ocean in attendance.
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It became clear during the audition they were vying for a spot in Ocean's Coachella set, with 100 eventually cast.
They rehearsed on an elevated ice rink at Paramount Studios and were taken out to the Coachella grounds for a dress rehearsal one week before Ocean's ill-fated show.
But it was all scrapped after Ocean suffered an ankle injury.
The injury which was was the result of a bike accident on the Coachella grounds only days before Ocean was scheduled to headline.
ain’t no way Frank Ocean showed up an hour late just for him to say he had a curfew 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/Z6lhSPkiJt
— futuro (@futurexo) April 17, 2023
The injury caused him to scrap his ice-rink performance last minute, which invariably led to the show now being roasted on social media by fans as lackluster and disappointing.
Reports from Festive Owl indicate an enormous ice-skating rink was planned but nixed last minute.
According to the music festival source, Ocean made a series of last minute changes and gave Coachella organisers an ultimatum - if they didn't happen, he wouldn’t perform at all.
An insider told Festive Owl: "It just didn’t seem like he wanted to be there but was obligated to be. Everything (including him) fell apart last minute.
They added: "Don’t expect to see any coverage from the festival about the set. Something that is unprecedented in the history of Coachella. The relationship is not in a good place right now."
Ocean's Coachella performance marked the singer's first return to the stage in six years after his 2017 performance at Flow Festival in Finland.
When it really comes down to it re: #FrankOcean and #Coachella…these are the people I feel the worst for.
— Festive Owl (@TheFestiveOwl) April 17, 2023
Like they said — blood, sweat and tears only to have the rug ripped out from underneath them.
These are the people who bring experiences to life, they deserve better. pic.twitter.com/LDnocGwmO6
And, after a six-year wait, fans were forced to wait just a little bit longer with the singer's set delayed by an hour.
The delay meant that Ocean had to finish his performance a bit sooner than fans would have hoped, prompting some of them to brand the whole thing ‘disgusting’.
One person tweeted: “Started the set late, didn’t let them live stream it, now ending the set early… Frank Ocean, you will rue the day.”
Another commented: “Ain’t no way Frank Ocean showed up an hour late just for him to say he had a curfew.”
A third wrote: “What’s even more sad is the fan accounts blaming Coachella as if it has anything to do with them.
"I guarantee they are disgusted by this as the closing headline performance. People were walking out in droves and the crowd was absolutely DEAD.”
A fourth said: "Oh Frank Ocean… an hour late, no livestream, no merch, dead crowd, and tons of people leaving his set. I had such high expectations for him."
Someone else wrote: "That was one of the worst Coachella headline performances I’ve ever seen."
Shortly before he was due to appear on stage, YouTube tweeted to confirm that Ocean’s set would not be live-streamed, writing: "Frank Ocean is not scheduled to appear on the Coachella live stream."
Frank Ocean was approached for comment on this story.
