Frank Ocean took to the stage at Coachella this weekend, although it turns out the artist had to dramatically change his set due to an injury he sustained at the last minute. The R&B singer hasn’t performed since 2017 and let’s just say that his return, though highly desired, did not go quite as planned.
The set was due to start at 10:05pm and yet was delayed up to an hour as fans were left waiting while the crew set about changing the staging and pacing around, leaving fans wondering what on earth was going on. When the artist did eventually arrive, he gave no explanation for the delay and went on with a set that had been changed from what he had previously envisioned for his comeback.
This last-minute change was due to the fact that Ocean suffered a serious enough injury to his ankle that had doctors advising him not to go ahead with his production. The accident occurred at Coachella, with sources telling TMZ that it happened during rehearsals, though the incident did not take place on stage but rather when Ocean was biking around the Empire Polo Club grounds.
Originally the artist’s production had involved an ice rink that had been built for his performance. TMZ was also told that 100 LA-based hockey players had been involved after a casting agent had reached out to them for an unspecified performance. Ocean was reportedly in attendance at these auditions.
Those cast were then trained for the performance and bussed to Coachella, only to arrive and be told that the whole thing had been scrapped. Instead, they got to appear on stage with Ocean in more of a walking-about routine, having been given custom Prada to wear.
The show went ahead, though was fraught with technical difficulties with the artist often walking out of the frame of the cameras and viewers’ vision, with many wondering if he would come back to continue. Ocean’s vocals, however, did not disappoint, with the Guardian writing “Ocean’s voice is, as ever, nothing short of sublime, even chill-inducing,” though they noted that “The highs – and when Ocean is good, he is transcendent – were chased by moments of confusion.” The most confusing part though was when the artist left the stage, and announced off-stage that he had hit his curfew and the show was over, while many in the crowd wondered if this was a joke. It was not, however, and left those remaining feeling just a tad disappointed.