Long his name has been built on genre-bending extravaganza, rare appearances, debuts and reunions – from the Tupac Shakur hologram and Beyoncé’s 2018 tour de force to reconciliations between core members of Pixies, Rage Against the Machine, Outkast, Guns N’ Roses and more — Coachella had more than just Ocean’s reappearance this past weekend. On Friday, pop-punk group Blink-182, with their classic lineup – the trio of Mark Hoppus, Tom DeLonge and Travis Barker – performed for the first time since 2014. The band were a late addition to the festival, with their set not being announced until Wednesday.
And on Saturday, the enigmatic British singer and producer Jai Paul, whose meager career results make Ocean seem prolific, gave his first-ever concert. Paul began speaking to the crowd almost in the dark and without a word, appearing nervous at first but smiling broadly by the end of the 11-track set.
Some of the biggest cheers during his set came for “BTSTU,” a track that mixes Prince-like sensuality with fuzzy electronics and was sampled by both Drake and Beyoncé. “I know I’ve been gone a long time,” Paul sang, “but I’m back and I want what’s mine.”
With “Nostalgia, Ultra,” a mixtape from 2011, Ocean rose to promise for the first time. In the years since, he’s become a cult favorite, a major label star, a Grammy winner, a chart topper, and a disruptor of those very systems, only fueling the fan mythology around him. After the success of his 2012 debut album, Channel Orange, Ocean waited four years for a follow-up to be released, eventually unveiling two projects – one, the visual album Endless, to fulfill his record deal, and another, Blonde. published independently – together with a magazine called Boys Don’t Cry.
Although Ocean released a few one-off singles and played a small series of concerts, mostly at festivals, over the following year, Ocean soon faded from view.