Coachella’s Weekend 1 drew all flavors of celebrity: Screen icons mixing with metal pioneers, “Voice” judges with Beatles, trouble magnets, and some actual great music at the Polo Grounds.
Leonardo DiCaprio came in to Saturday night’s Neon Carnival fired up and early: dancing, flexing, and kissing his bicep. He took a table on the front row right on the dancefloor.
Justin Bieber came too, but Kendall Jenner (underage) could not.
Kellan’s got a new job: Fox’s “Fear Factor” derivative “Bullseye.”
Ringmaster Brent Bolthouse (who produces and owns the Neon Carnival concept/party/marketing platform) with Alessandra Ambrosio. He had a lot of VIP guests. Here’s some of them…
The most mildly behaving Jenner at Coachella, Brody, with “Western Wild” blogger Kaitlynn Carter.
Brody, your little sister is wagging a finger.
A regular: Julianne Hough
Michael Kovac captured this perfectly contemporary portrait at Neon Carnival: “Justin Bieber, Lit by Cell Phone.”
Neon regulars Bryan Greenberg and Jamie Chung. Chung’s new series “Resident Advisors” just premiered on Thursday.
From the forthcoming “Dope,” star Chanel Iman had the special on-stage wristband.
Open Road’s Sundance breakout also made their presence with astronaut twins.
Bolthouse’s big tent brings out both high, low, and uncategorizable Hollywood. Exhibit A: Scene fixture Simon Rex.
2011 Coachella headliner Jared Followill (Kings of Leon) got an early ride on the bumper cars just after 10:30 p.m.
Metallica’s Lars Ulrich in the quintessential rockstar pose: inside a private hangar with a model girlfriend. (The hangar was the production office for Neon Carnival)
Jeffrey Best built a new layout, with matching three level platforms housing vastly expanded VIP booths, 35 in total.
But the most choice table at the party was Don Julio’s secret “chefs table” inside their airstream, where they poured 1942.
Of the 35 VIP tables set up, insiders correctly predicted Ms. Hilton would want one of the 3 isolated ones directly in front of the stage.
Scott Eastwood came to the PacSun sponsored event, a few years after his dad Clint turned heads with a “WTF?” appearance.
DJ Ruckus’ refreshing open format set rose above amongst the multiple club DJ’s who played. He has a new residency at Omnia in Vegas…
Not to take away from Brit DJ Kayper, who made a return to the carnival.
After a crush of blue-wristbanded wrists (and some naked wrists unsuccessfully trying to slip cash to security), guests could exhale at reaching the arrivals chute.
Exhibit B: Tara Reid with a guy whose profile continues to rise globally, street artist Alec Monopoly. Appropriate for both Reid and Monopoly, Paper Magazine partnered on the party.
Meanwhile over at Jeremy Scott’s event in Bermuda Dunes, Alexander Wang had a full car.
Super group and super friends Diplo (who played Alexander Wang’s party on this night last year) with JackU mate Skrillex.
The crown wears Scott well. Fergie hung with the designer at the DeLeon Tequila hosted event.
Scott (center) had a relatively small entourage, yet the door still got shut down early.
Earlier at the concerts, Axwell & Ingrosso had the challenge of playing their EDM set on an outdoor set instead of a tent, which allows for less visual production.
Nonetheless, 2/3 of Swedish House Mafia still had more firepower than many small nations in their arsenal.
It was not nearly cold enough in the desert on Saturday to require Rihanna’s purple coat.
Obligatory cutaway/reaction shot: Backstage, Chris Brown looked unencumbered.
Chris Brown roughhouses Justin Bieber at Nylon’s Midnight Garden party in Bermuda Dunes on Friday night.
Don’t worry Justin. He was just pretending to punch you.
In the front of house, Father John Misty put on a typically weird set.
Clint Eastwood, a surprisingly Coachella regular now, with Metallica’s Lars Ulrich.
The big surprise in Hozier’s sunset set (on the main stage) was Este Haim joining him for his penultimate song: a cover of “Jungle Love”.
Sunset on Day 2.
Two guys at the top of their games: Hozier and Aaron Paul.
FKA Twigs lit up the Gobi tent on Saturday night.
Personifying the cross-industry interest in Coachella, The Hoff hung backstage on Saturday.
“Orange is the New Black’s” Taryn Manning ducked in to the Samsung Galaxy Owners Lounge, an oasis in the desert.
Tyler the Creator performed on the Outdoor stage in the same yellow shorts he was wearing 24 hours earlier in the Rose Garden VIP.
Earlier on Saturday, Mac De Marco had designated “backup drinkers” during his acoustic set at the Soho Desert House. Spotify put him on as part of their active Coachella presence.
On Sunday, Katy Perry costume designer/stylist and DJ Johnny Wujek chilled out at the Soho Desert House, taking in the Merv Griffin Estate lake.
After Saturday night’s Neon Carnival, Paper Magazine’s Karim Abay hosted a “recovery brunch” at Soho. Sarah Hyland sat in at the long table. Grey Goose, and then BMWs for rides, helped the Soho festivities flow.
Fergie strolled through the main VIP on Friday afternoon, camouflaged by all the similar fashion.
Lots of “Out Of Offices” on Friday. I’m guessing all of these people have finished their taxes already.
Paris and Nicky Hilton walking hand-in-hand was a common sighting on Friday.
Adam Levine and Behati Prisloo backstage.
Prinsloo also did as all other celebs did, hung with 1000s of others in VIP (including Tara Lipinski and “Catfish’s” Nev Schulman), grabbing one cup of the millions of gallons of Heineken.
Christina Milian (right) is going for an early J. Lo look at the Nylon Midnight Garden. Between her and Brown’s hair, Karrueche Tran (left) comes out looking really good here.
Paul McCartney and Adam Levine backstage on Friday night.
Speaking of Beatles…Sean Lennon (with Charlotte Kemp Muhl) performed with his band The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger.
Katy Perry (center) was the most conservatively wardrobed member of her group at the Soho Desert House on Saturday afternoon after a Harper’s brunch that ran well in to the afternoon.
PopSugar founder Lisa Sugar, Zoe Kravitz, and Mara Hoffman were headliners at the PopSugar’s Council Of Fashion Designers Of America (CFDA) Brunch, also in Palm Springs.
Andrew McMahon gets the high fives during his Saturday afternoon performance.
Also on Saturday, Joe Jonas DJ’d 1OAK’s party with Tinder.
#CoachellaWedding. (It was planned, not impromptu).
Festival Bros.
Gramatik filled the Sahara tent mid-afternoon on Saturday
DJ Leigh Lezark, host Rachel Zoe, and Emily Ratajkowski at The Zoe Report brunch in Palm Springs on Saturday afternoon
ACDC was technically the headliner on Friday, but finished before the throbbing spaceship of the Sahara tent. Tough to compete with this…
Ryan Tedder joined Alesso’s closing set for 3 songs, scaling the staging.
Hip hop is not dead. Ghostface Killah and Raekwon prepared to take the stage on Friday afternoon.
The astronaut of years past is gone. Now, the appropriately slow moving caterpillar is the marquee festival art for 2015.
The astronaut is back in smaller form, as an attendee’s +1.
Brittany Howard (Alabama Shakes) doing Brittany Howard things.
The two “statement” art pieces pass each other. The “Corporate Headquarters” piece is stationary.
Buddies Blake Anderson (from Comedy Central) and Tyler the Creator hanging on the rail. The two became chummy at the Roseanne Barr roast a few years ago.
Charles Bradley, who began his career as a James Brown impersonator, is having a career peak in his late 60s.
The glowing desert fields.
On the day their new GS6 launched, Samsung also showed off their VR technology and upgraded lucky fans to VIP status.
Ryan Tedder with Alesso. Full disclosure: I’m proud of this shot I took while demo’ing a loaner Galaxy S 6.
Cody Simpson is not a poser. He has been rocking the hat look since early in awards season. He did pose for a shot inside H&M’s festival HQ.
Gigi Hadid and Sarah Hyland at the officially sanctioned “H&M Loves Coachella” cocktail party at the Parker on Friday afternoon.
This is not a mistake photo. There was a runway fashion show in Palm Springs, thrown by frequent Hollywood event sponsor Pandora jewelry.
Natural extension of Coachella’s fashion vibe or ridiculous leap off brand? Doesn’t matter. Jamie Chung and Victoria Justice prove the concept by attending.
The word on the street is that designer Jeremy Scott has not one, but two parties on Saturday night. The Moschino one, and then his own private after hours that is “the real one”. He hopped on this bike and sipped Lucky Buddha Beer at The Retreat in Palm Springs.
Kiesza had a moment on Friday. Her show drew so many people that fans could not even get a glimpse inside the Mojave tent. I smell an upgrade to a bigger stage for Weekend 2.
Kiesza also had photog Bryant Eslava trailing her all weekend capturing her top Coachella moments, part of American Express’ “Journey Never Stops” campaign.
Patrick Schwarzenegger went king kong in the H&M tent on the grounds.
Paris Hilton still turns heads and draws crowds, even when traveling without any security in a small group.
Meanwhile at the chill Soho House satellite Soho Desert House, Rosie Huntington-Whitely and Kate Bosworth were ready for a luncheon.
Singer Bonnie Mckee gives us the rare celebrity actually-dressed-for-a-pool-party shot at the H&M cocktails.
The relaxed vibe at Soho Desert House outside…
…and the usual rush for mixology inside.
Cars began arriving in to the camping areas at 9 a.m. on Thursday morning.
This group of ladies from San Luis Obispo were five of hundreds raiding a Ralph/CVS complex for essentials on Thursday morning.
This hub closest to the campgrounds looked like a college football tailgate on a Thursday morning.
The calm before. This is what the polo fields looked like 24 hours before the concerts began.