Coachella 2023: Frank Ocean forced to cut long-awaited set short ...

After six years without a public performance, Frank Ocean returned to the spotlight Sunday night, closing out the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival’s first weekend with a set that had intimate solos and new music – but a stunning dud of an ending cut short by local curfew rules.

The elusive pop-soul star, renowned for his pair of visionary albums, “Blonde” and “Channel Orange,” performed for more than an hour at the festival’s main Coachella Stage Sunday night. But after Ocean started his performance nearly an hour late, he was forced to end his performance around 12:20 a.m. Monday.

“Guys, I’m being told it’s curfew, so that’s the end of the show. Thank you so much,” Ocean said abruptly after a song. (Coachella typically has a midnight curfew for its Sunday shows.)

The disjointed ending left many fans in disbelief, especially given the set was such a long time coming. Ocean was originally booked to headline Coachella in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced a cancellation, and the singer was not available to play during the festival’s return last year.  

“Everybody is talking like, ‘It’s been so long, it’s been so long,’ but I have missed you,” Ocean said to rapturous cheers earlier in his set.

While frustrating for fans, Ocean’s performance, like headliners Bad Bunny and BLACKPINK on Friday and Saturday, was still history-making: On Sunday, Ocean became the first openly gay man to headline the globally beloved festival.

Ocean, donning a blue zip-up jacket and a black durag, began his set in a style as unique and mysterious as the star himself. Before he came on stage, several people with hoods and face covers slowly marched in circle on the stage, with large light fixtures between them and the crowd obstructing any clear views. The strange setup, which was shown on large screens to the audience, echoed Ocean's 2016 visual album, “Endless.”

When he finally emerged, Ocean opened his set with “Novecane,” the standout from his breakout mixtape, “Nostalgia, Ultra,” before launching into a few “Channel Orange” songs, including “Crack Rock” and “Bad Religion.”

The light fixtures remained hanging between Ocean ‒ who was often barely visible on the dimly lit stage ‒ and the audience for the first few songs, before the singer made himself fully visible for the massive audience gathered at the Empire Polo Club.

Though Ocean hasn’t released a new album since 2016, the 35-year-old has released several singles since then, and he played a few of those releases Sunday, notably reworked versions of “Chanel” and "Provider" that drew applause.

Ocean, whose fans constantly try to glean any clues about his potential next album, also briefly performed some new music, though he told the crowd he “wasn’t here because there’s an album, not that there’s not a new album.” He then played a song, titled “Inner Child,” while a young boy sat and played the piano while lip-syncing the lyrics to Ocean’s latest work.

Ocean also briefly addressed a tragedy that struck his family in October 2020, when his 18-year-old brother, Ryan Breaux, died in a car accident in Thousand Oaks. Addressing the crowd, he said his life “changed so much” over these last couple years.

“My brother and I, we came to this festival a lot, and I feel like I was dragged out here half the time,” Ocean said. “One of my fondest memories was watching Rae Sremmurd with my brother, plus (our friend) Travis.”

“I know he would’ve been so excited to be here with all of us today, and I want to say thank you for the support and the ears and the love over all this time,” Ocean added. "Now, I’m gonna get back to the songs.”

Fans got to hear several songs from “Blonde,” including altered versions of “Solo” and “Pink + White” that Ocean played on speakers while casually dancing and rapping along to the beat. Perhaps the best moment of the night came when he played “Nikes” and “Nights” back-to-back, with a seamless transition between the two. Soon after, he announced the concert was over due to curfew rules.

Ultimately, his performance wasn’t enough for many fans left frustrated by the abrupt ending, with some booing and others crying as reality set in. Casual fans didn’t even get to hear some of Ocean’s biggest hits, such as “Thinkin Bout You” and “Pyramids,” because of the show being cut short.

Ocean still reminded fans of his generational talent Sunday night, hitting the high notes and offering glimpses into the enigmatic music he’s been working on as of late. But sadly, the curfew rules stole the spotlight in the end.

Tom Coulter covers the mid-valley for The Desert Sun and can be reached at thomas.coulter@desertsun.com.