Frank Ocean replaced by Blink-182 at Coachella after ‘chaotic’ first performance

Singer has withdrawn from the festival following doctor’s advice

Frank Ocean will not perform at Coachella on Sunday 23 April as planned, the singer announced Wednesday (19 April).

The news comes after he faced intense backlash over his first set at the California festival last Sunday (16 April), for which he appeared over an hour late and was forced to finish early due to curfew rules.

“After suffering an injury to his leg on festival grounds in the week leading up to weekend 1. Frank Ocean 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’s representative said in a statement.

“On doctor’s advice, ARTIST is not able to perform weekend 2 due to two fractures and a sprain in his left leg.”

“It was chaotic,” Ocean himself added in the statement. “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.”

According to Variety’s sources, the R&B singer’s slot will be filled by Blink-182. The Independent has contacted Coachella for comment.

Frank Ocean at Coachella 2012 (Getty Images)

The star’s Coachella appearance was approached with much anticipation as it marked his first live performance in nearly six years.

However, the set ended abruptly: “Guys, I’m being told it’s curfew, so that’s the end of the show,” Ocean told the crowd. “Thank you so much.”

The festival was later fined by Indio, California city officials for going over curfew.

Ocean’s 20-song setlist included reworked versions of a number of his biggest hits, with a final performance covering “At Your Best (You Are Love)” by Aaliyah.

During his concert, Ocean shut down rumours that he was going to be dropping an album soon, before recalling memories of when he used to attend Coachella with his late brother Ryan, who died in a car crash in 2020.

“I know he would have been so excited to be here with us,” he told the audience.

Justin Bieber subsequently defended the performance, arguing that the singer’s “artistry is unmatched”.