COACHELLA, FINALLY (PART 3)

It took two years, but we finally returned to the Coachella Valley for the most-anticipated festival of the season.

Sunday highlights

When I arrived at my Airbnb Friday night, I was treated to loud regional Mexican music coming from next-door (that went on until 4am). Turns out it was Banda MS practicing for their main-stage performance Sunday.

Hayden James and Emotional Oranges were also making their Coachella debuts on day three. They were positioned at the Gobi and Mohave stages, respectively, which made it a breeze to hop from one to the other without skipping a beat (and they were well worth checking out).

Just over at the Sahara stage, Channel Tres brought out Ty Dolla $ign, while FINNEAS hit the outdoor stage—Billie was hanging out in the crowd—where he was joined by special guest Lizzy McAlpine for a performance of their new collaboration “hate to be lame.”

Maggie Rogers made her return to the Coachella field in style, bringing all the energy and groove fans have come to know and love with songs like “Give a Little” and “Light On” before wrapping with “Surrender.”

Nicole schmoozes with Republic co-headliners Swedish House Mafia and manager/SALXCO head Wassim “Sal” Slaiby. Seen thinking there’s no desert more vast and forbidding than this website are (l-r) SHM's Steven Angello, Slaiby, SHM's Sebastian Ingrosso, Ghapgharan, SHM's Axwell and SALXCO’s Dina Sahim.

Karol G hit the main stage with plenty of flare. She welcomed Tiesto for “Don’t Be Shy” and Becky G for their single “MAMIII,” then thrilled the crowd with her versions of Selena’s “Como la Flor,” Shakira’s “Hips Don’t Lie,” Ricky Martin’s “Maria,” Daddy Yankee’s “Gasolina” and Luis Fonsi’s “Despacito.” She wrapped her set with the chart-topping “Tusa.”

South Londoner Dave not only brought his mom to the fest but invited a fan to rap “Thiago Silva” with him onstage prior to doing hits like “Location” and “Clash.”

Italian rockers Måneskin gave an electric performance with a set that included "ZITTI E BUONI," "MAMMAMIA," "I WANNA BE YOUR SLAVE" and "Beggin’,” and Duke Dumont brought Duality to life at the Sahara tent, closing, of course, with “Ocean Drive.”

Doja Cat gave a headliner-worthy performance. She brought Planet Her to the main stage with hits “Woman,” “Get Into It (Yuh),” “Ain’t Shit,” “You Right” and “Kiss Me More” and was joined by Rico Nasty for “Juicy” and Tyga for “Tia Tamera.” She also performed a new, unreleased song called “Vegas”—which interpolates Big Mama Thornton’s version of Leiber & Stoller’s “Hound Dog” for the upcoming Elvis biopic directed by Baz Luhrmann—and finished her set with another unreleased track—which NME described as “a rap-rock crossover that hears Doja rap ‘come get me fucked up’ over gritty guitars and beats.” The Taco Bell enthusiast said during the song, “I brought back the Mexican Pizza, by the way.” We’re grateful, truly.

Closing out Coachella with one of the most highly anticipated sets were Swedish House Mafia and The Weeknd. Despite a 30-minute delay, the electronic trio wowed with a blend of tracks like “It Gets Better,” “Can U Feel It” and “Frankenstein” from their new album, Paradise Again, and nostalgic favorites like “Miami 2 Ibiza,” “One (Your Name),” “Save the World” and “Don’t You Worry Child,” transporting the crowd back to their 2012 set.

Debuting various tracks from Dawn FM, co-headliner The Weeknd opened with the SHM-produced “Sacrifice” before jumping into songs like “How Do I Make You Love Me,” “Can’t Feel My Face,” “Blinding Lights,” “Starboy,” “Heartless,” “Save Your Tears” and “I Feel It Coming.” He concluded the 17-track set by bringing SHM back to the stage to perform their collab “Moth to a Flame,” wrapping up a Coachella weekend that was one for the books.