Green Day, Charli XCX and Lady Gaga will all headline Coachella 2025, but how did they fare in front of Kiwi audiences? Composite Image / NZME
Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival released its star-studded lineup last week, with big names like Lady Gaga, Green Day, and Charli XCX slated for top billing.
But how did these superstars fare with New Zealand audiences, and what exactly went down at their most recent Kiwi shows? The Herald’s Mitchell Hageman investigates.
Coachella brings hundreds of thousands of people from around the world to California’s Empire Polo Club for six non-consecutive days every April, with plenty of New Zealanders saving their hard-earned pennies for what is known as a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
From brawls to brats, we take a look at why this year’s headliners have made it onto one of pop culture’s most coveted bills, and how they were received when they graced the shores of Aotearoa.
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Last New Zealand performance: May 14, 2017 (Spark Arena, Auckland)
Often hailed as the band that helped take the punk genre to mainstream audiences, Green Day have been a music festival staple since their rise to prominence in the early 90s and have rocked Kiwi audiences plenty of times since then.
The California-formed band - consisting of drummer Tre Cool, lead singer Billy Joe Armstrong, and bassist Mike Dirnt - gained critical acclaim with their 1999 album Dookie and followed up with a series of chart-topping albums like American Idiot (2004) and 21st Century Breakdown (2009).
Besides their penchant for punk, the group is notably outspoken when it comes to social issues and politics, often using their platform and concerts to spread messages of empowerment and activism.
After the controversial overturning of Roe v Wade in the USA (which ruled that the Constitution of the United States protected a right to have an abortion), Armstrong declared at a London concert he would renounce his US citizenship.
“There’s too much f****** stupid in the world to go back to that miserable f******* excuse for a country,” he said.
American Idiot was also notably written as a response to then-US President George W Bush leading America to invade Iraq after 9/11.
The band’s last New Zealand performance at Spark Arena in 2017 was jam-packed with political statements and activism.
Early on in the gig, Armstrong set ground rules for the night that included “No racism, no sexism, no homophobia and no Donald Trump”.
Reviewing the concert for the Herald at the time, Chris Schulz described the show, which promoted the band’s album Revolution Radio (2016), as a mix of singalongs, stage dives and flamethrowers.
He also noted there was definitely a “politically charged” undercurrent present.
“Green Day’s serious side certainly came through, but the show was punctuated by plenty of goofball moments, like the energetic fan who was pulled up on stage to sing a particularly rowdy version of Longview and then delivered a perfect stage dive," Schulz said.
"When I Come Around’s chug and singalong chorus is still effortlessly awesome and, well, anything else from Dookie really".
Stuff’s Laine Moger also noted that: “after decades of performing, neither the group’s anarchist spirit, nor its members’ eyeliner, had faded”.
Last New Zealand performance: October 30, 2024 (Eden Park, Auckland)
Possibly the most prone to controversy on this list, the Goosebumps rapper from Houston has made headlines across the globe for his high-energy performances, and his latest Auckland show at Eden Park was no exception.
Scott, 33, (real name Jacques Bermon Webster II) rose to fame with his debut studio album Rodeo (2015), which garnered critical acclaim from both mainstream audiences and fellow rappers like Kanye West, 2 Chainz and Future.
Despite his record achievements, genre-defining sound and estimated US$80 million net worth, Scott has attracted criticism for incidents arising from his live concerts.
In 2021 at Scott’s Astroworld festival in Houston, 10 people were crushed and killed during a crowd surge - the youngest aged just 9.
While his latest Kiwi show didn’t include any incidents of this scale, it still attracted mixed feedback from crowd members and received criticism after a sudden date change.
When the US megastar took to the stage at Eden Park last month, it was reported that "fight clubs“ broke out while punters waited hours for the rapper to perform.
The gig itself was described as a “phenomenal show” by Eden Park CEO Nick Sautner, and “extremely loud” by a Herald reporter who attended.
Police said the mood of the concert as “good” and said they made no arrests.
Known for his impressive sets, the Circus Maximus Tour saw our national stadium light up with heavy bass, pyrotechnics, and an impressive laser light show.
Scott played his 2023 hit song Fein! more than once, among other hits like Antidote and Telekinesis, and the performance ran for just under an hour and a half.
“Scott bobbed away as he ran up and down the protruding stage. It all looked like it was ripped straight from one of the artist’s surreal music videos,” RNZ’s Tiana Haxton said.
Haxton said while some people described the night as “mind-blowing,” others “couldn’t help but grumble that the set felt too short”.
Scott’s Coachella set is mysteriously titled Designs the Desert, leading some fans to believe the rapper will drop a much-anticipated new album.
Last New Zealand performance: January 27, 2020 (Laneway Festival, Albert Park)
Born Charlotte Emma Aitchison in Cambridge, UK, Charli XCX is responsible for the popular Brat Summer phenomenon that swept social media in 2024.
Another person who’s no stranger to Kiwi shores, Aitchison is a Laneway Festival staple and returns to headline for the 2025 edition next year at Western Springs Stadium in Auckland.
The singer’s early career in music began when she started posting songs on MySpace in 2008. Soon after, she was discovered by a promoter who managed to book her gigs at a string of warehouse parties.
Aitchison gained serious recognition globally after collaborating with Swedish duo Icona Pop on their 2012 hit I Love It and rapper Iggy Azalea’s Fancy in 2014, which stayed at No 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks.
Famous for her captivating on-stage presence and showmanship, her latest album Brat exploded into a media frenzy, with a number of songs becoming TikTok famous and the album itself acting as a catalyst in various internet trends.
The Charli XCX set at 2020’s Laneway was described as “electric” by Herald reviewers, containing a “monster light show complement her hits”.
Taking to the Rotunda stage, the British singer wore a “sparkly outfit and sleek long ponytail,” and was said to command the stage and the audience “almost like a supernatural force”.
Smoke, lasers and thumping bass music were all said to be a part of Aitchison’s pop EDM spectacle.
She even busted out a cover of the Spice Girls' Wannabe, which was said to go down a treat just like her smash hit closing track 1999.
In 2018 the singer wowed audiences with an intimate performance at Karangahape Rd performance space/yoga studio Raynham Park after her Mt Smart Stadium appearance opening for Taylor Swift.
Last New Zealand performance: November 21, 2023 (The Outer Field at Western Springs, Auckland)
Affectionately called “Postie” by his fans, this diverse performer recently released his latest country album F1Trillion after previously launching his career as a rapper and hip-hop artist.
With two appearances in Aotearoa during 2023, it’s clear Post loves Kiwi fans just as much as Kiwi fans love him.
Born Austin Richard Post, the 29-year-old from New York launched onto the scene with hit singles like White Iverson and Congratulations, quickly establishing himself as one of the world’s most in-demand live acts.
Known for his chilled demeanour and penchant for drinking and smoking on stage, the rapper caused concern among fans in 2020 after videos emerged of him struggling to pick up a microphone, slurring his words, rolling his eyes and falling over.
Post denied claims he was on drugs, saying at a 2020 Nashville concert: “for anyone that’s concerned here, I appreciate the love and the support, but I feel f***ing fantastic and I’m not doing drugs”.
All worries were put aside at the rapper’s 2023 appearance in Auckland, with Herald Lifestyle and travel editor Jenni Mortimer applauding Post for his mix of genuine audience interaction and electric live performance skills.
The concert featured a special moment for a Kiwi guitarist named Rachel, who performed an acoustic version of the hit 2018 song Stay with Post.
Another fan called Daniel was then summoned to the stage to show off his full back tattoo of the rapper’s face.
“You never felt like he was just rattling through the set list - he stopped to feel emotions, express gratitude, and took the show wherever he saw fit,” Mortimer said.
“It was like Postie looked his crowd in the eye and knew exactly what they wanted and delivered it banger after thrill-inducing banger.”
As an added bonus, the star even surprised Kiwi fans with karaoke at Auckland bar Danny Doolans while he was here on tour, singing The Proclaimers’ 500 Miles and What I Got by Sublime to clearly amped fans.
The rapper also performed at Spark Arena in 2019 and Trusts Arena in 2018 during his meteoric rise up the charts.
Last New Zealand performance: June 9, 2012 (Spark Arena, Auckland)
With her fandom of “Little Monsters,” Lady Gaga (Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta) has been a staple of the pop culture lexicon since the debut of her record-breaking album The Fame in 2008.
While her last New Zealand performance was over 10 years ago, it was certainly one for the history books according to Kiwi reviewers who witnessed the spectacle.
Germanotta, now 38, is one of the world’s best-selling artists having sold an estimated 170 million records.
Dance pop hits like Poker Face and Bad Romance have stood the test of time and continue to be blasted on playlists across the globe, and the multi-talented performer has since branched out into acting as well, garnering critical acclaim for roles in American Horror Story (Season 5 and 6) and A Star Is Born (2018).
With a reputation for pulling out all the stops when it comes to her live performances, Germanotta revealed in 2014 that she poured millions into the stage set for her 2009 Monster’s Ball world tour, leaving her “broke”.
“I was bankrupt during the show. I had $3m in the bank to my name and I threw it all in to make my stage,” the singer revealed.
Herald on Sunday’s Damien Grant was lucky enough to attend one of Germanotta’s 2012 shows at Auckland’s Spark Arena.
He described the gig as containing, “lights, glitz, meat, guns and exploding bras,” while Germanotta’s “infectious beat and unconventional voice that is her signature filled the arena and the megawatt base system”.
The artist notably wore her iconic meat dress that she wore to the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards and bashed out hits like The Edge of Glory and Just Dance amidst a slew of rapid-fire costume changes.
Grant noted that while the audience “had to endure” lesser-known songs like Highway Unicorn and Government Hooker, the audience took to its feet when Germanotta “sprang from a giant vagina belting out Born This Way“.
“The light display may have left me with a permanent blind spot but the passion that goes into each song can be felt even from the cheap seats,” he said.
Mitchell Hageman joined the Herald’s entertainment and lifestyle team in 2024. He previously worked as a multimedia journalist for Hawke’s Bay Today.
The Hollywood star is 70 but has no plans to retire from acting.