The one-two punch of Charli XCX’s club-ready performance followed immediately by Sanders’s rousing call to action left Coachella fans ready to rock by the time headliners Green Day took the stage.
The career-spanning performance filled more than 90 minutes with hits — including “Brain Stew,” “Minority,” “Basket Case” and “When I Come Around” — a reminder of the grip the rockers had on popular music throughout their 1990s and 2000s heyday.
At an earlier sunset performance Gustavo Dudamel led the Los Angeles Philharmonic in a sweeping sunset show that turned the concept of genre on its head, marrying orchestral arrangements with an eclectic crop of collaborators including rapper LL Cool J, Country star Maren Morris and Icelandic jazz-inspired pop singer Laufey.
Lady Gaga kicked off the festival with a three-act tale of mayhem channeling her latest album, but did dole out her classics to the delight of her ardent fans.