Just before the end of Blackpink’s set at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival on Saturday, April 15 the four women in the first K-pop group to headline the festival paused to reflect on the achievement.

“About four years ago, we were invited to perform for you guys here at Coachella, over there at the Sahara Tent,” singer Lisa noted. “I believe that made a mark in all our hearts, and made us remember the passion for performing for all you guys.

“So I must say, this is a dream come true for us to be headlining one of the most-loved festivals in the world,” she said as the crowd that filled the field in front of the main Coachella Stage cheered.

For Blackpink and fans alike, Saturday’s 80-minute set was a triumph, a fun and energetic run through 18 songs in a production that let the talents of Lisa, Jisoo, Jennie and Rosé shine as brightly as their smiles.

The show kicked off 30 minutes past its scheduled start, but fans forgot the delay the moment the group and their troupe of backing dancers arrived on stage to kick things off with first “Pink Venom” and then “Kill This Love.” While the crowd didn’t seem quite as large as that which turned out for Bad Bunny on Friday, Blackpink’s performance immediately seemed more personable and engaging than that of the Puerto Rican singer and first Latin music artist to headline Coachella.

Part of that is simply that Lisa, Rosé, Jennie and Jisoo are bubbly young women with tons of energy, flashy choreography, and catchy songs. The structure of the songs also helped – most include bits and pieces of English with the Korean lyrics, giving non-Korean speakers more access to the music than Bad Bunny’s Spanish-only lyrics.

But the show also came off more polished than the previous night’s had — multiple costume changes, segments that took Blackpink and their backup dancers down a ramp from the stage to a remote stage amid the crowd, seamless segues between numbers and no technical glitches.

Highlights early in the set included “Pretty Savage,” which saw the singers dancing on chairs on the remote stage, and a round of solo performances that gave each member a chance to shine on their own.

The second half raced through more hits including “Typa Girl” and “Shut Down,” the lyrics of which declare “Blackpink is in your area,” a promise that by the final songs, “DDU-DU DDU-DU” and “Forever Young” left happy fans fulfilled.

DJ Calvin Harris played later on the main stage, though not as a headliner. In recent years Coachella has occasionally booked big-name DJs and producers to play after the main headliners. A year ago, Swedish House Mafia followed the Weeknd. As far back as 2010, Tiësto played after headliners Muse.

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Harris’ set, which started 30 minutes after its 11:35 p.m. scheduled start, ran well past 1 a.m. with Harris playing hits from his catalog such as “One Kiss,” “We Found Love,” and “Promises,” though none of the big-name singers on those songs – Dua Lipa, Rihanna and Sam Smith – were there to sing live. (Singer Ellie Goulding was Harris’s only guest, coming out to sing their song “Miracle.”)

Earlier, before Blackpink, the singer-songwriter supergroup Boygenius enthralled fans at the Outdoor Theatre Stage. The group, which includes Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus, is an occasional side project of their solo careers. The Coachella show was their first together in about five years. Highlights included “Cool About It,” which first Baker, then Dacus, then Bridgers take a verse of the song, and a harder rock number in “Me & My Dog.” Baker, in particular, shined in her spotlight turn on “Anti-Curse.”

Rosalía joined the party on the Coachella Stage with a cinematic performance that captured the attention of fans and even a security guard who couldn’t stop himself from grooving to the music. Sporting a flowy pink long sleeve blouse, black leather pants and boots, her outfit visually aligned with the images cast upon the screens. She played several songs from her now Grammy Award-winning album “MOTOMAMI,” that ties together a new sound which includes pop, flamenco, reggaeton and Caribbean influence. Fans were delighted when she played “Saoko,” “Bizcochito,” “Chicken Teriyaki,” “HentaI,” “Malamente” and “La Fama,” the collaboration with 2022 Coachella headliner The Weeknd.

Throughout the hour-long set, she remained playful and at one point hopped off the stage and got down near the barrier to give fans hugs and the chance to sing the chorus of “De Aqui No Sales.” A young man was given the microphone and shouted the words “mucho más a mí me duele,” trying to hold back his tears. Another fan was so emotional, he held Rosalía’s hand as he sang.

The Spanish singer also had a cute concert duet date with newly announced fiancé Rauw Alejandro. The pair revealed their engagement a few weeks before the festival during their newest collaboration, “Beso,” which they played once he strutted out on stage. Alejandro stayed for “Vampiros” and as that finished they shared a warm embrace and a few kisses as fans cheered. Though she wasn’t a headliner, she proved that she has that potential.

Over in the Do Lab, electronic duo Odesza  served as a surprise guest. It was a well kept secret until fans that had downloaded the Coachella app were prompted in the evening that the set would take place at 10:35 p.m. They drew a sizeable crowd, which extended well beyond the covered stage area.

This wasn’t a typical Odesza set as the DJs spun just what they wanted the entire time. But they did play standouts like “Say My Name,” “Sun Models” and “How Did I Get Here.” The rest of the performance was just a dance party that included well-known EDM classics like “Paper Planes” by M.I.A.

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