If there was a theme song to the one-time-only Head Trip festival, it would be "Don't Rain on my Parade" because nothing could stop the good times — nor bass thumping music — from taking over Indio's Empire Polo Club.
After the festival was cut short by about two hours on Saturday night due to rain and lightning concerns, the grounds came roaring back to life on Sunday. It was a stacked day for attendees, especially with the addition of Saturday night headliner Calvin Harris, whose set was canceled, and it made for an even more exciting day.
Here are the most memorable moments from Day 2 of Head Trip.
Vibes reaching a new height
One would think cutting a festival short by a couple of hours would diminish people's excitement for the following day, but that wasn't the case.
Just as the dark, stormy clouds moved away from the Coachella Valley, so too did any bad vibes or worries about Sunday being a dud. What's even better is a group of men were spotted wearing while T-shirts with the lightning alert message that flashed on the festival screens the night prior printed on them. I have no idea how they got these made so quickly, but I applaud them for the effort.
Ahead of the gates opening, people were buzzing from anticipation about seeing Skrillex, Harris and Swedish House Mafia back-to-back-to back. It was a dream come true for the millennials in the crowd, and even though the weather wasn't on their side on Saturday, the gods gave them a gift to make up for it.
Peggy Gou being that girl
Though festivalgoers weren't able to see a set from The Blessed Madonna, who could not perform due to "unforeseen circumstances," they were treated to another appearance by Peggy Gou, who proved she's that girl.
It can't be easy to step in for someone so last minute, but she showed that she was unfazed by the change and that she was having a blast doing it. Compared to her Saturday set, where she did a B2B performance with Four Tet, Gou had full control of the music and kept the vibes strong throughout the hour. Among the standout moments was her playing a remix of "Pump Up the Jam," a classic good-time dance anthem, and her popular track "(It Goes Like) Nanana."
Millennials winning big with Skrillex, Calvin Harris and Swedish House Mafia
The final three performers on Sunday were a dream lineup for all the millennials in the crowd.
First up was Skrillex, who went sans video screen visuals and opted solely for pyrotechnics and flashing lights for his set. It was an interesting switch from the colorful and trippy visuals we've grown accustomed to during this festival, but it worked because it turned the festival grounds into a dark, strobe-light dance party. From the get-go, festivalgoers rushed over to the main stage area to claim a spot on the floor, and they were absolutely feeling themselves during his gritty-sounding set, much of which reminded me of his 2010s work (shout out to his Justin Bieber collab "Where Are U Now").
Harris was quite a vibe shift with more of a pop-leaning set. He played several of his hits, such as "Sweet Nothing," "This Is What You Came For," "Blame" and "Slide," and the crowd's energy was infectious. Though he didn't treat us with the surprise guests we were hoping for, he still gave us the nostalgia fest we've been craving.
Finally, Swedish House Mafia closed the festival with an insane drone light show and even more energy-pumping music to get the crowd moving. The group's set was all about the visuals, as they had flames coming from the stage, fireworks popping off in the sky and so many bright, flashing lights with each song. The times when the grounds were well-lit from the stage and surrounding screens showed thousands upon thousands of people on the field, and it was quite astonishing to see how many music lovers were gathered in the area.
The weather being an absolute dream
Non-desert residents might think of Sunday's weather as being less than memorable, but it was a gift considering all the mayhem Saturday brought (and a relief for those of us who've been living with triple digit weather for five months). We had sunny blue skies all day long, plenty of sunshine warming us all up and the mountains and palm trees looked extra beautiful from all the rain that they received. Additionally, the wind was barely noticeable, which we were all bracing for following the storm. We couldn't have asked for a better day two and way to close out this one-time-only festival.
Long live Head Trip!
Ema Sasic covers entertainment and health in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at ema.sasic@desertsun.com, on X @ema_sasic or on Instagram @emasasic.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: The Coachella team just wrapped a huge EDM festival. Here's our recap
