Out of all the big names that took the stage this weekend during Coachella, R. Kelly was likely in the back of most people's minds. It isn't that he's not a talented performer and gifted singer, he's just not who most fans expect, or perhaps care to see during the two-weekend long festival. Despite the fans' expectations however, R. Kelly shoot things up a bit and dazzled the audience when he came on stage during Phoenix's performance.
Attendees originally believed that Daft Punk would make their "secret" Coachella appearance onstage with Phoenix, but once those rumors were shot down, the French band decided to bring on Kelly. The questionable decision caught their fans a bit off guard, but it ultimately appeased them immensely. The band and R&B singer performed a mashup of Phoenix's "1901" and Kelly's smash hit "Ignition (Remix)." What began as a mellow set, nostalgic of a warm, calm summer night with those closest to you, erupted into a massive bump and grind dance party. Check out the video of their stellar performance below.
Aside from their guest star, Phoenix, who broke into the scene with their 2009 album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, debuted several of their new ambient and crisp full-bodied pop tunes from their highly anticipated follow-up album, Bankrupt! which will hit stores next week.
Phoenix knew they had to go big or go home if they wanted to standout from the other tremendous weekend performers, and that's exactly what they did. "Our vision of Coachella is that you can never be medium," Phoenix guitarist Christian Mazzalai told Reuters. "It's either fantastic or a big catastrophe, we don't like medium things. For us, it's always been an extreme experience. The first time we played was our worst show ever, and the second time was one of our best shows ever, it's either a huge failure or success."
There's still plenty of Coachella to come. It's only half over. After such a spectacular first weekend, one can only imagine what's in store for the finale.