Coachella 2024: The bizarre moment Vampire Weekend invited Paris Hilton on stage
All eyes are on Vampire Weekend at the moment as the band is proving that their best is still ahead of them. Their recent album, Only God Was Above Us, is an exciting blend of indie pop and rock with classical sounds and time signatures. In a four-and-a-half star review, Far Out described the new album as “the best the band have ever made,” saying, “It’s this style of music as it’s never been done before. Unpredictable in its structure and execution but completely charming throughout.”
As such, when Vampire Weekend was added as a last-minute addition to the Coachella line-up, fans everywhere were excited to see the new material performed and sing along to some of the old stuff, too. Given that the set was last minute, it seemed incredibly well thought out in its chaotic nature as the band rounded off what appeared to be a standard set with complete randomness.
When closing, the indie rockers played ‘Cocaine Cowboys’, which was a 15-minute mash-up of country and honky tonk music. There were many tracks throughout that medley, including their own ‘Married in a Gold Rush’ and covers of ‘All the Gold in California’, ‘Sin City’, ‘Cumberland Blues’ and ‘Possum’.
The most confusing part of the medley came towards the end, though, when the band invited two guests on stage to have a game of cornhole. The first was an Abraham Lincoln impersonator; the second was Paris Hilton. Hilton took to the stage in good spirits, saying she hadn’t played Cornhole since she was on the reality TV program The Simple Life. This showed, given she missed both attempts.
Special guest appearances are becoming a staple for major music festivals these days. Many fans who go to the likes of Coachella intend to see some special guests take to the stage, and the 2024 lineup hasn’t disappointed in that regard. Not only did Vampire Weekend bring on Paris Hilton, but several bands have been joined on stage by unexpected guests.
Also, on day two, No Doubt brought Olivia Rodrigo on stage to perform their ska classic ‘Bathwater’. This was just before Tyler, The Creator’s headline slot, where he was joined by Childish Gambino, Kali Uchis and A$AP Rocky.
Lana Del Rey’s set had a few surprise guests as well, one of the most notable of which was Billie Eilish, who came on stage to one of the biggest cheers of the festival. The two performed renditions of ‘Ocean Eyes’ and ‘Video Games’ in a set that felt incredibly intimate despite being in front of such a big crowd.
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