10 of the Most Iconic Coachella Performance Photos, from Amy Winehouse to Beychella

Adam EnglandSat, April 11, 2026 at 1:30 PM UTC

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Credit: Tim Mosenfelder/Getty; Larry Busacca/Getty; Gary Miller/FilmMagic -

Coachella has grown into one of the world’s biggest music festivals since its debut in 1999

The festival has hosted iconic performances, including Daft Punk’s 2006 EDM revival and Snoop Dogg's 2012 performance with a hologram Tupac Shakur

Beyoncé’s historic 2018 set celebrating Black culture was documented for her 2019 film Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé

Coachella has been a mainstay of the festival calendar since 1999, bringing together names from Madonna to Beyoncé.

Since 2012, it’s taken place over two three-day weekends in April — barring 2020 and 2021, when it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During its first year, Beck, Tool and Rage Against the Machine topped the inaugural bill, reflecting the festival’s rock origins.

Since then, the likes of Prince, Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar and Lady Gaga have headlined — and this year, Sabrina Carpenter, Karol G, Anyma and Justin Bieber will be taking the top slot, a performance the latter been "excited and working hard for," a source close to Bieber told PEOPLE in October 2025.

From Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre performing with a hologram of Tupac Shakur in 2012 to Beyoncé’s celebration of Black culture in 2018, there have been several unforgettable moments at the festival over the years.

Here are the 10 most iconic photos from Coachella performances over the years.

01 of 10

Beyoncé

Beyoncé performs onstage during 2018 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival Weekend 1 at the Empire Polo Field on April 14, 2018 in Indio, California.Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty

Beyoncé became the first Black woman to headline Coachella in 2018 — but that wasn't the only record she made with her groundbreaking set.

Nicknamed "Beychella," the performance became Coachella’s most-viewed performance ever at the time, as well as the most-viewed live-streamed performance of all time.

Her performance was heavily influenced by Black feminism and the traditions of historically Black universities. During the set, her husband Jay-Z and sister Solange appeared, as did her fellow Destiny’s Child members Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams for their first reunion since Williams’ 2014 single “Say Yes.”

“[Beyoncé] is rehearsing for hours every day. She wants to look her best and for the show to be spectacular,” an insider told PEOPLE ahead of her performance.

The singer documented her preparation and set for the documentary Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé, which she directed. It was released by Netflix the following year and went on to win Best Music Film at the Grammy Awards.

02 of 10

Daft Punk

Daft Punk performs at the Coachella Music Fesival on April 29, 2006 in Indio, California.Credit: Karl Walter/Getty

They may not have headlined, but Daft Punk’s 2006 show is one of Coachella’s most iconic.

It came a year after their third album, Human After All, received lukewarm reviews and sold just 10% as many copies as their second album, Discovery, had. The duo canceled plans to tour until Coachella asked them to play, per Variety.

However, the show revitalized their career — and, arguably, the genre of EDM as a whole. The French duo unveiled their now-trademark LED pyramid-shaped stage for the first time at the festival, heralding in a new age of audiovisuals.

“Coachella was a big offer financially, and that triggered the ability to bring the show to the next level,” Thomas Bangalter, one half of the duo, told Variety in August 2007. “It’s a little bit chaotic. But the thing we focused on is what you get out of the show: an intense experience of music, lights and robots, with a thin line between fiction and reality.”

03 of 10

Prince

Prince performs during Coachella 2008 at the Empire Polo Fields on April 26, 2008 in Indio, California.Credit: Tim Mosenfelder/Getty

Prince only played a handful of shows in 2008, but his Coachella headline slot that year became one of the late singer’s most famous concerts.

During his set, he played some of his biggest hits, including “Purple Rain” and “Little Red Corvette," as well as a number of covers, with The Beatles’ “Come Together," "Rock Lobster” by The B-52s and Radiohead’s “Creep” among them. He also brought Sheila E. out to perform her hit “The Glamorous Life” with him.

“They’re telling me we gotta go, but I can’t leave,” he told the crowd at 1 a.m., well past Coachella’s curfew, per Rolling Stone. “Coachella, did we have a good time at this party or what? You deserve it. For now on, this is Prince’s house.”

04 of 10

Snoop Dogg

Rapper Snoop Dogg and a hologram of deceased rapper Tupac Shakur perform onstage during day 3 of the 2012 Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Field on April 15, 2012 in Indio, California.Credit: Christopher Polk/Getty

Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre’s headline slot in 2012 was a huge moment for hip-hop — not the least because of the hologram of Shakur that performed alongside them.

The hologram of the legendary rapper, who was murdered in 1996, addressed the crowd and performed “2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted” with Snoop during the set.

The pair also paid tribute to Snoop’s childhood friend and fellow rapper Nate Dogg, who died the previous year, while Eminem, 50 Cent, Warren G, Lamar and Wiz Khalifa all appeared.

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05 of 10

Amy Winehouse

Amy Winehouse during Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival - Day One - Amy Winehouse at Empire Polo Field in Indio, California, United States.Credit: Gary Miller/FilmMagic

Amy Winehouse played on the first day of Coachella’s 2007 festival, six months after the release of her classic second album Back to Black. While she wasn’t a headliner, the set captured her as she was rising to true fame on both sides of the Atlantic.

The singer was backed by soul legends Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings and ran through some of her biggest hits, ending with “Rehab."

“Everybody wanted a piece of Amy that day because she was probably the most sought-after performer at that Coachella in 2007 that everybody wanted to see,” rock photographer Piper Ferguson told PEOPLE in November 2023.

The late singer was meant to play the Coachella Stage two years later, but pulled out due to “legal issues,” per her rep Chris Goodman (via Billboard). She had been charged in March 2009 with assault in the U.K. relating to a September 2008 incident involving a fan at a party, but was later acquitted in July 2009, per Today. She died two years later at 27 years old from accidental alcohol poisoning.

06 of 10

Madonna

Madonna performs at the 2006 Coachella Music Festival on April 30, 2006 in Indio, California.Credit: Karl Walter/Getty

Madonna’s set at Coachella 2006 supported her album Confessions on a Dance Floor — just weeks before her Confessions Tour became the highest-grossing tour by a female artist in history — and the disco-heavy set proved a perfect fit for the Sahara tent.

The 30-minute set began with the album’s lead single “Hung Up" while Madonna emerged out of a disco ball with her dancers. She then played guitar on “I Love New York" before performing her huge 1998 hit “Ray of Light” and her debut single “Everybody,” further cementing the Queen of Pop’s comeback.

In 2015, Madonna made a surprise appearance during Drake's set, famously kissing him during a performance of her song "Human Nature."

07 of 10

The Cure

Robert Smith of The Cure performs during the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival 2009 on April 19, 2009 in Indio, California.Credit: John Shearer/WireImage

Goth icons The Cure followed Prince’s lead the year before by going over curfew at the 2009 festival — but their set actually had to be cut short mid-song by the Coachella crew after they nearly topped three hours.

Frontman Robert Smith began the third encore by telling the crowd they’d been told to play just one more song. They then played two, before festival bosses cut the main-stage speakers during “Boys Don’t Cry,” prompting them to continue unplugged. Audience members then rushed the stage to hear the final notes, per NME.

08 of 10

Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga performs during 2017 Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival on April 22, 2017 in Indio, California.Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty

Lady Gaga stepped in to replace Beyoncé as headliner in 2017 after the singer — who was pregnant with her twins, Sir and Rumi — had to pull out due to the advice of her doctors.

Gaga's set included hits like “Born This Way,” “Just Dance” and “Poker Face,” as well as some deeper cuts — she performed “Speechless” for the first time since 2011. One of the most memorable moments was her acoustic piano rendition of “The Edge of Glory" and the debut of her then-new single, “The Cure.”

The "Bad Romance" crooner returned to headline the festival in 2025. While announcing the concert, she referenced her prior performance on Instagram, writing, "I’ve had a vision I’ve never been able to fully realize at Coachella for reasons beyond our control but I wanted to come through for music fans.”

During her nearly two-hour long 2025 show, the singer took inspiration from old music videos, including that of her 2009 hit "Paparazzi," for her choice of outfits and set.

09 of 10

Kendrick Lamar

Rapper Kendrick Lamar performs on the Coachella Stage during day 3 of the Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival (Weekend 1) at the Empire Polo Club on April 16, 2017 in Indio, California.Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty

Days after he released his album DAMN. in 2017, Lamar headlined Coachella — just five years after he was listed on the last line of the festival bill — and played most of the songs from the album, giving them their live debuts. He brought out Travis Scott, Future and ScHoolboy Q, too, performing his collaboration with Scott, “goosebumps,” live for the first time.

The set featured onstage acrobatics — with Lamar being accompanied by a ninja and being launched into the air — but “HUMBLE” into the encore “LOVE” was the most memorable part of the evening.

10 of 10

Rage Against the Machine

Zack de la Rocha and Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine.Credit: M. Tran/FilmMagic

Rage Against the Machine played the inaugural Coachella in 1999 and then reunited to play it once more in 2007, seven years after they disbanded.

They planned the show to be a one-off, but after performing in front of around 100,000 people — one of the largest crowds in the festival’s history — the set prompted a full reunion of the band, which lasted until 2011.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”