The best part of attending a music festival is the music. The worst part is just about everything else. If you’re tired of getting vodka lemonade spilled on your shirt, swept up in a sweaty mosh pit after shelling out hundreds for tickets, we have good news for you. Coachella 2022 will be available to stream on YouTube for the tenth year in a row. Although communal crying during a Phoebe Bridgers set is exclusive to in-person concerts, the two-weekend livestream comes with its own set of perks, from artist interviews to sweepstakes to Fortnite merch.
After Ye exited Coachella, the festival announced that Swedish House Mafia and the Weeknd would take West’s coveted Sunday night slot. Harry Styles and Billie Eilish will headline on Friday and Saturday respectively. On April 14, Arcade Fire was added to the set times for a surprise Friday set on the Mojave Stage at 6:45 p.m. Daniel Caesar, Megan Thee Stallion, and Doja Cat will also perform. Not all performances will be streamed, but a majority (90, to be exact) will be. All the headliners’ sets, plus Arcade Fire, will be available to watch on YouTube across three channels. For the first weekend, April 15-17, the livestream starts at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, April 15, and will run until the evening of Monday, April 18. Joe Kay, Quenlin Blackwell, Veronica De La Cruz, and Therapy Gecko — the unlicensed psychologist who gives advice in a gecko onesie on Twitch — will co-host the festivities.
From April 22-24, YouTube will stream Coachella Curated, an immersive inside look at the festival and its artists. “Coachella Curated deep dives into the stories of some of today’s most thrilling artists,†YouTube announced. “From encore performances to artist commentary, mini-docs and more, the livestream gives fans an opportunity to discover new artists in addition to original content and performances from the artists they know and love on the Coachella bill.†Joe Kay and Veronica De La Cruz will continue hosting duties. And by the way, YouTube will stream three different front-row feeds at a time, so if you own a VR headset, you can go even further than in-person by witnessing Orville Peck shake his tasseled face up close.