KARACHI:
Each year, Coachella serves as a cultural temperature check, and in 2025, that temperature read fierce, political, and gloriously chaotic. From calls for justice in Gaza to a mic-wielding Lady Gaga and the first-ever orchestral set by the LA Philharmonic, Coachella delivered two weekends of music with meaning. Here are the standout moments from the Empire Polo Club grounds that had everyone talking.
Solidarity with Palestine
Coachella 2025 became an unexpected epicentre of global resistance, as performers across genres used the stage to spotlight the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Rap trio Kneecap kicked things off with visuals condemning Israel’s US-backed military actions in Gaza, although, according to the group, those graphics were censored on the Sonora Stage. Twitch streamer Hasan Piker ensured the uncensored version reached audiences, streaming the performance live and loud.
Kneecap’s crowd responded with chants of “Free Palestine,” which the group called proof that “young people of America don’t support genocide.”
Meanwhile, punk-rock legends Green Day altered lyrics in their track Jesus of Suburbia to memorialise children killed in Gaza. Blonde Redhead ended their set waving a Palestinian flag and playing audio from Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil, who was detained by ICE following campus protests.
Other artists echoed similar sentiments: Amy Taylor of Amyl and the Sniffers gave a shoutout to Palestine alongside queer, trans, immigrant, and Ukrainian communities. Bob Vylan didn’t mince words: “Palestinians have always mattered.” And Darkside’s Nicolas Jaar closed his set with a searing indictment of historical injustice, linking Gaza to US immigration detention
