Just in case you happened to be sleeping under a rock all weekend, Coachella happened. The country's first major music festival of the season, of course, featured expected sets from the likes of Muse, Arcade Fire, Beck and every other major indie music act.
But, the more interesting stories lie in those who showed up at Coachella with no forewarning, shocking audiences in mostly good way (except for one...).
Here at MusicTimes, we're all about the element of surprise, so check out the five biggest surprise showings at Coachella:
5. Debbie Harry during Arcade Fire
Should have expected this one. Last week, Arcade Fire did one of their many covers on the Reflektor Tour of Blondie's "Heart of Glass," and now it's clear that was just a warm-up. During the band's headlining set Sunday night (April 13), Blondie frontwoman and total legend Debbie Harry joined Regine Chassagne on stage for the vocals, and of course, it was totally awesome. She then remained tight for parts of "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)," but she was notably shaky on the lyrics. Regardless, this was all power.
4. Beyonce during Solange
Even more so than the Arcade Fire/Debbie Harry love, this "surprise" cameo should have been expected, I mean, Beyoncé and Solange are sisters, after all. Bey joined her baby sis on stage during "Losing You." And she didn't even have to sing to have one of the most talked-about guest gigs of the weekend. The two Knowles did little more than just boogy together with some choreographed moves and tons of curly hair, but the moment was still super special and adorable. Check out that hug at the end!
3. Jay Z and Diddy during Nas
Jay Z and Nas used to be enemies, but the two prolific rappers have long since buried the hatchet. Despite being on friendly terms since 2005, nobody really ever expected the two to collaborate... that is until this year's Coachella. Sometime after midnight on Saturday (April 12), Hova joined Nas onstage to perform "Dead Presidents II," a true marker of peace in hip-hop. Throw in a little Diddy for some more harmonious music.
2. Pharrell's entire set, featuring Gwen Stefani, Diplo, Snoop Dogg and more
Pharrell Williams is one of the biggest musicians and producers in the game, but his own solo and N.E.R.D. discography doesn't quite carry the weight or popularity necessary of a big Coachella show, so of course he was going to bring out some of his famous friends for a little bit of help. And there were TONS of throwback hits. There was Gwen Stefani with "Hollaback Girl, Nelly on "Hot In Herre,' Busta Rhymes on "Pass The Courvoisier," Tyler The Creator for "Lapdance," Snoop Dogg on "Drop It Like It's Hot" and "Beautiful" and Diplo for "Aersole Can." Unavailable? Robin Thicke, so Pharrell had to do "Blurred Lines" solo.
1. Justin Bieber during Chance The Rapper
If there's one of these acts that's not quite like the others, it would definitely be the Biebz. During Chance The Rapper's set, the troubled singer showed up to perform their collaboration (and his latest single) "Confident," sending social media into a tizzy. The hipsters? Well, to them, this was the death of Coachella. The Beliebers? Obviously they loved every moment of it. The performance itself was rousing enough, with both Chance and Bieber having a good time, bouncing around on stage and dancing their butts off. And if nothing else, nobody expected this.
