by Booker Jones

April 19, 2023

Frank Ocean Receives Mixed Reviews On His Coachella Set

It’s not often Frank Ocean offers his presence to the masses. So when Ocean does decide to step out, fans get excited. 

The “Sierra Leone” crooner took the stage at this year’s Coachella. But some fans and critics were not satisfied with the songwriter’s performance. 

Variety wrote that Ocean’s set was “shambolic,” leaving “many concertgoers distressed, depressed, and annoyed.” 

“The energy was low; he and the band were obscured by a battery of people walking in a circle around the stage; and the pacing was bizarre,” Variety writes. 

NPR reported fans were also upset because Ocean’s set started an hour late, and the “Chanel” singer cut his songs short because of curfew, and on top of it all, his set wasn’t live-streamed like other sets. 

USA Today wrote of Ocean’s set: “Frank Ocean ended one of the weirdest, most perplexing and ultimately just surreal (and mostly not in a good way) live performances I have ever seen… But I do know this: I’ll be thinking about this train wreck for a while (and wondering if Ocean will somehow still get paid the millions Coachella headliners command). Maybe this was just a late April Fools’ joke and we’ll see the real show next week?”

Of course, the Twitter intellectuals shared their thoughts on Ocean’s set. 

One user wrote: “I have never been happier that I didn’t waste money to see Frank Ocean end Coachella like this…horrific lmao.”

Another user wrote: Started the set late, didn’t let them live stream it, now ending the set early… frank ocean you will rue the day. 

Singer Nij wrote: ‘A man has never played me worse than Frank Ocean tonight.”

However, at least one of Ocean’s contemporaries showed love to the “Swim Good” singer. Justin Bieber took to his Instagram account to praise Ocean’s performance.

“I was blown away by Frank Oceans Coachella’s performance. His artistry is simply unmatched, his style, his taste, his voice, his attention to detail. I was deeply moved. It made me want to keep going and get better as an artist. He continues to set the bar high and gave me a night I will never forget! Thanks Frank.” 

 

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A post shared by Justin Bieber (@justinbieber)

GQ’s Eilleen Cartter penned an essay titled, “Actually, Frank Ocean’s Coachella Set Was Great.”

Several reports say Ocean suffered an ankle injury before his Coachella set. Some reported Ocean’s injury happened during rehearsals. However, TMZ reported the singer’s injury occurred on a bike. 


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