Just a few days after his first-weekend performance at Coachella, Frank Ocean pulled out of his headlining slot during the second weekend of Coachella due to a leg injury.
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Blink-182, who kicked off the first weekend of Coachella with a reunion featuring their classic lineup of drummer Travis Barker, bassist Mark Hoppus, and guitarist Tom DeLonge, will perform in his place.
[RELATED: Frank Ocean Plays First Shows in Six Years, Fans Give Disappointed Reviews]
“Frank Ocean will not be performing at weekend two of Coachella,” Ocean’s rep said in a statement to American Songwriter. “After suffering an injury to his leg on festival grounds in the week leading up to weekend one, Frank Ocean was unable to perform the intended show but was still intent on performing, and in 72 hours, the show was reworked out of necessity. On doctor’s advice, [Ocean] is not able to perform weekend two due to two fractures and a sprain in his left leg.”
The statement concludes with a message from Ocean. “It was chaotic,” said Ocean. “There is some beauty in chaos. It isn’t what I intended to show but I did enjoy being out there and I’ll see you soon.”
News of Ocean’s cancellation comes days after criticism over the elusive artist’s performance on Sunday (April 16) during the first weekend of the Coachella festival. Criticism included the artist’s tardiness, poor visibility for fans, and other issues on stage, which left many concertgoers disappointed.
The show marked Ocean’s first performance in six years but was marred by low energy after he showed up an hour late and performed mostly behind a giant screen that featured shots of him and his accompanying band. While fans in the back of the more than 250,000-person crowd could see the performance on the large screen, those in the front had difficulty seeing Ocean through the small opening on the stage.
[RELATED: Original Blink-182 Lineup Reunites at Coachella]
Initially, plans to have an ice rink on stage featuring dozens of skaters who had rehearsed for more than a month, fell through, according to a report, due to the ankle injury he suffered earlier in the week leading up to his first show at the festival.
Though Ocean only performed for about a half hour in respect to the festival curfew, the lighter side of his set came when he shared a new song called “Inner Child” and hinted at a follow-up to his album Blonde, released in 2016.
“I’m not here because there’s an album,” said Ocean to the audience, “not that there’s not a new album.”
In Ocean’s defense, Justin Bieber countered all the naysayers of the show and said he was “blown away” by his Coachella performance. “I was blown away by Frank Ocean’s Coachella performance,” wrote Bieber on social media. “His artistry is simply unmatched, his style, his taste, his voice, his attention to detail…I was deeply moved.”
Bieber added, “It made me want to keep going and get better as an artist. He continues to set the bar high and gave me a night I will never forget. Thanks Frank.”
Photo: Josh Brasted/WireImage
