house music trio Swedish House Mafia frequently asks the crowd “Are you ready?” before igniting their next track. Well, on Sunday night, it was a legitimate question.
After starting almost half an hour late during Weekend 1, the house music trio started their set 12 minutes early Sunday– a Coachella rarity to be sure.
The group, consisting of DJs Axwell, Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso, last played Coachella in 2012. On the closing night of the 2022 festival, they charged through the same tracks and set list as the first weekend, but the extra-large crowd seemed more receptive this weekend. Packed to the back of the field in front of the Coachella Stage, Weekend 2 warriors bopped and cheered for every hypnotic thump and rhythm.
Weekend 1 recap:The Weeknd, Swedish House Mafia gamely co-headline Coachella 2022 after Kanye West’s exit
Many of their most anticipated beat-drops were punctuated by fireworks and pyrotechnics, which drew even bigger roars. One of those displays ignited a small fire near the stage that blazed for about 10 seconds before workers were able to douse it with water bottles.
Swedish House Mafia finished its set, which lasted about 55 minutes, with one of those great goosebump-inducing moments. As they played their most popular song, “Don’t You Worry Child,” they dropped the music entirely at the key moment to allow the crowd to sing the chorus in unison: “Don’t you worry, don’t you worry child . Heaven has a plan for you.” The words rang out from seemingly all across the festival grounds, a haunting and special moment.
Just like last week, they then passed the baton to The Weeknd as they transitioned with him on the songs “Sacrifice” and “How Do I Make You Love Me?” before exiting the stage and letting The Weeknd finish Weekend 2 on his own.
And he didn’t let the momentum die, starting right out with his dance-party jam “I Can’t Feel My Face” to re-hook the crowd. Even those who seemed to be calling it a night after Swedish House Mafia had to stop in their tracks and dance.
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The Weeknd rolled through a crowd-pleasing list of hits, including “The Hills,” “Starboy” and “I Feel It Coming.” He is perfectly comfortable on the Coachella Stage and that confidence showed. This was his fourth time playing the festival, including a headlining performance in 2018. You could say everything was working for The Weeknd.
And since he was only added to the festival 10 days before it started, when Kanye West was removed from the headliner spot, it’s easy to excuse his lack of theatrics and stagecraft and special guests. He just plowed through his set of it, smartly reiterating how Weekend 2 is always better than Weekend 1.
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He closed his set with a slowed-down version of his mega-hit “Save Your Tears.” Then Swedish House Mafia rejoined him and they closed the set, and the 2022 Coachella experience, together with the song “Moth to a Flame.”
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George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism