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Coachella: 20 Years In The Desert
Streaming free on YouTube
YouTube Originals and Coachella have partnered to create a feature-length documentary “Coachella: 20 Years in the Desert.” Watch now only on YouTube.
The documentary features two decades in the making, opening up the vault for the very first time to present the performances and behind-the-scenes stories that shaped the music festival. The film gives a rare look at Coachella’s colorful beginning, presents exclusive, never-before-seen footage, interviews, and features key performances from some of the biggest names in music, including Billie Eilish, Kanye West, Daft Punk, Travis Scott, BLACKPINK, LCD Soundsystem, Rage Against The Machine, Pixies, Swedish House Mafia, Jane’s Addiction, Björk, The White Stripes, Madonna, Moby, Beck, Radiohead and more.
1999
Main Stage
The first Coachella was hosted under October skies. Palm trees dotted the main stage performers’ sunset backdrop and the story began.
2001
Jane's Addiction
After nearly four years of disbandment, the legendary band reunited to headline Coachella.
Photo: Zach Cordner
2002
Björk
The Icelandic singer and songwriter was several months pregnant when she took the stage to perform as a headlining act.
Photo: Brian Lima
2003
The White Stripes
Coachella's early years hailed rock and indie bands as supreme. Jack & Meg White shredded the stage as The White Stripes.
Photo: Brian Moghadam
2004
Campgrounds
Every year, thousands descend upon Indio for a weekend of music and head back to their tents at the end of the night to rest under the stars.
2005
M.I.A.
The first of several of her performances at Coachella, M.I.A rocked the stage for her first time in 2005. In 2009, she returned and incited chaos as she asked fans to storm the stage and party with her on it.
Photo: Brian Moghadam
2006
Daft Punk
The legendary electronic producer duo’s Coachella performance marked the debut of their iconic pyramid stage. Their performance set a new standard for production technology at an electronic dance music show.
Photo: Zach Cordner
2007
Amy Winehouse
The late English sensation was listed on the bottom line of the billing poster yet was one of the most attended performances of the weekend. Amy Winehouse marked a point in Coachella's history where fans were coming to the festival not just to see the big headliners but also all of the smaller acts that they may not have known as well.
Photo: Brian Moghadam
2008
Roger Waters
The legendary guitarist of Pink Floyd fame played two sets at Coachella. In the midst of his performance, a giant inflatable pig (part of his production setup) came loose and floated off into the Indio night later to be discovered in a local resident's yard.
Photo: Jeff Kravtiz
2009
The Serpent Mother
The art installations at Coachella have transformed year after year. In 2009, the Flaming Lotus Girls crafted a large scale, kinetic fire serpent mother coiled around her egg.
Photo: Zach Cordner
2010
JAY-Z
The superstar made history as the first rap artist to headline Coachella, helping usher in a new era of hip-hop headliners.
Photo: Zach Cordner
2011
Tyler, the Creator
Just a few years before he was performing on stage at Coachella, Tyler, the Creator was joining fans in the mosh pit. He and his Odd Future gang also roamed the grounds with Super Soaker water guns spraying other attendees.
Photo: Dave Bullock
2012
Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg
The Coachella moment heard around the world - Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg brought out the late rapper 2Pac, in the form of a hologram, for a one time special guest performance.
Photo: Christopher Polk
2013
Tame Impala
Coachella has become a breaking point for many artists' careers. Kevin Parker of Tame Impala, performed early in the day in 2013, during the band's emerging years, and returned to later headline the show in 2019.
Photo: Brantley Gutierrez
2014
OutKast
The southern hip-hop duo composed of André 3000 and Big Boi, reunited at Coachella for their first live performance in seven years.
Photo: Jose Negrete
2015
Alabama Shakes
Over the years, Coachella morphed and changed and introduced artists from a wide array of different musical genres. Everything from classic rock, to hip-hop, electronic, Latin, and pop music have graced the stages at the Polo fields.
Photo: Koury Angelo
2016
Purity Ring
A dazzling, transcendent performance in the Mojave - one of the group's last live shows before a four year break from music.
Photo: Ryan Muir
2017
Kendrick Lamar
After surprise dropping his Grammy award winning album DAMN on the Friday morning before Weekend 1 of Coachella, Kendrick closed out on Sunday night performing his hit "HUMBLE" live for the first time ever.
Photo: Andrew Jorgenson
2018
Beyoncé
Bey made history as the first African-American woman to headline Coachella. Raising the bar for production and performance standards around the world, her performance was the highest attended Coachella performance to date.
Photo: Larry Busacca / Getty
2019
Blackpink
The first, all-female K-Pop super group to perform at Coachella. Their performance was live-streamed on the video screens at Times Square in New York.
Photo: Quinn Tucker
