Frank Ocean's unexpected absence from the second weekend of Coachella sent shockwaves through the entertainment industry.
After suffering a leg injury at the festival site in the week preceding the first weekend, Ocean arrived one hour late to his April 16 10:05pm performance.
Due to the festival's midnight curfew, he then shortened his set. Fans were also dismayed upon learning that the performance would not be live-streamed.
Frank Ocean’s Coachella set was supposed to feature an ice rink with over 100 skaters who auditioned but it got scrapped last minute, TMZ reports.
— Pop Base (@PopBase) April 17, 2023
The skaters were told the routine had been scrapped after arriving and were placed as backup dancers instead. pic.twitter.com/t5cKg8dTDR
Overall, the artist's performance was a complete disaster. Ocean was scheduled to perform at the same time on April 23. However, on April 20 it was announced that Ocean would not return to Coachella for the second weekend.
Representatives for Ocean cited his ailments as the main reason for his withdrawal.
As a substitution for his Sunday night performance, Blink-182 was scheduled to perform. However, Ocean's set included a challenging ice rink conundrum. Now, organizers are struggling to determine how to utilize it.
According to reports, Ocean's Coachella performance featured a large rink with 100 trained skaters performing during his set. However, the arena was reportedly demolished prior to his Weekend 1 performance.
The issue is that Coachella now solely owns the rink as a physical ice rink.
In addition, it is now a symbol of Ocean's departure, which reportedly costs the festival "several million dollars." Supposedly, the rink was the most costly component of Ocean's set. However, it was canceled as a result of Ocean's multiple fractures and sprain during rehearsals.
The festival's coordinating staff is currently attempting to incorporate the rink into the festival's second weekend, which begins today.
Due to concerns about liability, the rink cannot be converted into a public skating arena. However, the coordinators hope that it can be incorporated into the performance of another artist. Blink-182 is scheduled to replace Ocean at 9:20 p.m. In addition, the 10:25 p.m. conclusion is listed as "tba." However, there is currently no information regarding which artisans will be responsible for the ice rink.
The second weekend of Coachella began on April 21 at noon PDT with performances by Dave from the Grave and Juliet Mendoza. The festival's coordinating staff is currently attempting to incorporate the rink into the festival's second weekend, which begins today.
Because of concerns about liability, the rink cannot be converted into a public skating arena. However, the coordinators hope that it can be incorporated into the performance of another artist. Blink-182 is scheduled to replace Ocean at 9:20 p.m. In addition, the 10:25 p.m. conclusion is listed as "tba."
However, there is currently no information regarding which artisans will be responsible for the ice rink. The second weekend of Coachella began on April 21 at noon PDT with performances by Dave from the Grave and Juliet Mendoza.
ALSO READ: How Did Frank Ocean's Coachella Peformance Fall Apart Before Getting Canceled?
