Coachella Day 3: Kid Cudi, Doja Cat, Victoria Monet and may the music never end

When you know something is going to end, you try to hold on to it as long as possible. On the last day of Coachella, we woke up and got ready at a cousin’s house down the street (shout out Eddie). As the girls did their six-step skincare routine and the boys put the chicken wings in the oven, there were two days of festival to review and we all bonded over No Doubt and of course Lana Del Rey.

Sonora tent

Imagine you’re sitting in a class at Cal Poly Pomona and a Coachella promoter texts you that he’d like you to curate your own stage at Coachella. That’s exactly what happened to Rene Contreras back in 2016, who was 25 at the time, who developed the now infamous Sonora tent. 

Filled with electric acts like Germany’s hard techno duo Brutalism 300, the historic British punk rock band The Addicts and Orange County’s OG Ska silly group The Aquabats, the Sonora tent’s legacy has been one that embraces eccentric rock to complex acts. For a Latino to host his own tent at Coachella, it is expected for him to only feature “Latin” acts. While Sonora did have Mexico City brothers LATIN MAFIA and the dream-pop-punk star Girl Ultra with the I.E.’s own Eddie Zuko, it's important for both universal audiences to see Latino curators as taste makers of all genres of music, period. 

It is with this spirit that brings me to articulate our full experience of both day three and the overall festival:

Kid Cudi, hope he is ok

As we were all getting ready at the cousin’s place before the last day adventure, we were all buzzing with the fact that we were all going to see Kid Cudi for the first time. 

Born Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi to a Mexican American father and Black mom in Cleveland, Ohio, Cudi has always been proud of his Mexican heritage. From having an alter ego named Juan Pablo to draping the Mexican flag during his shows, Cudi has strangely gone under the radar of the purveyors of Latino representation. Maybe the record companies and the media weren't fully aware of Afro-Latinidad but as soon as I learned that one of my favorite rappers was half-Mexican, I never looked back. 

Cut to Coachella day 3, we were all running to get as close as possible to the opening with Cudi. From the pyro making us sweat before we even truly started dancing to moshing with strangers to wondering what happened to Cudi during his set, it was intense. 

Cudi would eventually post a remark detailing his broken foot and hinting at a next year performance. While we walked away a little disappointed, it was still a great start to our final day.

Victoria Monet, Boy Harsher & Doja Cat

In what became a more subtle day of catching up with friends and making our way through a few acts, what stood out was our time with Victoria Monet. Having just swept the Grammys through a historic engineering award, Monet’s music is a refreshing reminder of the capabilities of R&B. 

The industrial gothwave duo, Boy Harsher, was a true favorite of mine on this performance. Having heard some of their songs through Vick Jaggers DJ sets over time, I knew I really wanted to hear them live, especially at the Sonora tent. As soon as we entered, it felt like its own arena and festival. It helps that the tent also has AC. With all the other stage’s music isolated and the lights surrounding you, darkwave at a music festival like Coachella feels like an escape from the mainstream dance music and pop. 

I’m however not a music purist and I have a big belief in pop music. Which is to say I can understand why a song is a hit. It has already been written that Doja Cat skipped her big hits in her Coachella performance. In what people found a surprise, I found it a radical approach to headlining one of the largest music stages in the world. 

I’m not going to fake the funk. As someone who knew her big hits, the performance I saw made me a fan. Costume changes gave future yet classic pop diva. Because she has been regarded as such a pop star, it is important to detail her, for the sake of local street credentials, as a Los Angeles rapper. So much of her lyricism is smart, cathartic, provocative and entertaining in ways that I feel deserves more respect.

The End? 

In the last few days since the closing of the festival, my partner and I joke that it's now Coachella day 5, 6, 7. We never wanted it to end. The walking and heat, yes. But the experience, the memories and of course the music is what I think makes these events unforgettable. 

Like I said at the start of this series, it is always better to share music with others. The best memories I have are seeing music live and I truly believe sharing this with those I love the most made me love music a lot more because I’ve seen its capabilities. 

I hope this series invites you to check out new music. I hope these words took you with us in our adventure and most of all, I hope you make memories with music. 

Coachella day 1 | Coachella day 2