Coachella 2025: Lady Gaga, Green Day, and Post Malone headline amid record heat
Global stars, throwback legends, visa drama, and desert heat—Coachella 2025 is back, louder and hotter than ever, chasing its comeback crown.
This year’s Coachella kicks off under extreme heat, with temperatures expected to soar past 103°F—well above seasonal norms—posing a challenge for both performers and attendees. Headliners like Lady Gaga, Ed Sheeran, Charli XCX, and Missy Elliott will face scorching conditions during the first of the festival’s two consecutive weekends in California. The heat is adding a new layer of tension to an event already carrying high expectations.
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Coachella 2025 aims comeback with Gaga, Green Day, and Post Malone
After experiencing its slowest ticket sales in 2024, Coachella is aiming for a strong comeback in 2025 with a powerhouse lineup featuring Lady Gaga, Green Day, and Post Malone. These artists boast 24% higher global Spotify streams than last year’s headliners, signaling a strategic move to regain cultural momentum. With daily crowds of up to 125,000, organizers are hoping this edition will restore the festival’s prestige and energy.
Lady Gaga, who previously headlined in 2017, returns with her new album Mayhem. She has promised to balance fresh material with fan favorites, while keeping the details of her performance under wraps. In interviews, she expressed deep excitement and the desire to create something truly special and surprising for her fans. Her reappearance is being hailed as one of the most anticipated moments of the festival.
Coachella 2025 blends new talent and nostalgia amid visa woes and rising costs
The 2025 lineup spans generations and genres, from rising stars like Rema, Glorilla, and Shaboozey to nostalgic acts like Kraftwerk, Missy Elliott, and The Go-Go’s. The Prodigy is also returning to Coachella for the first time since the death of Keith Flint, with the band vowing to honor his legacy without turning the set into a tribute. Meanwhile, Weezer will perform as planned, despite personal controversy involving bassist Scott Shriner’s wife.
Not everything has gone smoothly: FKA twigs had to pull out of the festival due to visa issues involving her production team. The singer said she was “devastated” by the last-minute cancellation. Visa delays and rising costs are increasingly affecting international artists; one booking agent revealed they had to pay $8,000 just to expedite a visa for another Coachella performer. These logistical hurdles highlight the growing challenges of staging global music events in the U.S.