We Stayed Home—But Emotionally, We Were Front Row

We weren’t in Indio. We weren’t covered in glitter or wandering around a field trying to find cell service. Most of us were sitting on couches, staring at screens, holding mugs instead of plastic cups. And yet, Coachella 2025 still got to us.

It was something about this year. The energy. The timing. The emotion woven into everything. From Chicago to Peoria, Evanston to East St. Louis—we felt it. Quietly. Fully.

Gaga Didn’t Just Perform—She Unraveled, and We Did Too

Lady Gaga’s set was a lot. And not in a “too much” kind of way—in a “I’m going to think about this for weeks” kind of way.

Five acts. Five different versions of herself, buried and resurrected in real time. The lights. The silence. The symbolism. The sheer Gaga-ness of it all. She gave us Mayhem tracks that made us feel electric and ended with “Bad Romance” like it was a full-body confession.

When Gesaffelstein showed up and the whole vibe turned dark and unhinged? We sat up straighter. It wasn’t just music—it was theater. It was grief. It was power. And watching it from a snowy apartment in Springfield made it hit even harder.

Green Day Made a Mess—and That’s Exactly What We Needed

Green Day came in like a middle finger wrapped in guitar chords and fireworks. They called out Trump, honored Gaza, lit a palm tree on fire (by accident, we assume), and brought out The Go-Go’s just because they could.

It was messy. Loud. Honest. And for Illinois fans—especially those who’ve been screaming “American Idiot” since 2004—it felt like being heard.

In some ways, watching it from a basement with three close friends and a half-eaten pizza felt more real than being there.

Surprise Guests Took Us from “What?” to “Wow” in Seconds

We knew there’d be surprises. We just didn’t know they’d be this unhinged.

• Charli XCX bringing out Billie Eilish, Troye Sivan, and Lorde felt like a Tumblr fever dream we forgot we still wanted.
• Bernie Sanders introducing Clairo? Unexpected. Kind of adorable. Also—extremely Midwestern energy.
• Benson Boone and Brian May from Queen doing “Bohemian Rhapsody”? No one asked for it. No one regrets it.
• The LA Philharmonic, playing Vivaldi and Star Wars with LL Cool J and Zedd, made us pause our dinner and whisper “wait, what?” more than once.

Post Malone Gave Us All the Feels (Again)

Posty has this way of making the biggest crowd feel like a conversation. We watched his set from a laptop in Normal, Illinois, and still somehow felt like he was singing directly at us.

“Circles” hit. “I Fall Apart” destroyed us. And the new songs? Yeah, we were definitely crying into leftover mac and cheese.

Travis Scott’s return hit hard too. There was so much bass. So much light. But it was the moment he mentioned his daughter, Stormi, that cracked us open a little.

The Stream Was Perfect for the Midwest Vibe

Illinois folks know how to do cozy. And the Coachella livestream this year? Chef’s kiss.

YouTube’s multi-stage view let us flip from orchestras to hip-hop without missing a beat. And the festival app gave us replays, schedules, and zero stress. No wristbands. No mud. No overpriced water. Just feelings—and snacks.

Final Thought—Coachella Felt Like Closure, Somehow

We didn’t go. But we were there. And in a weird way, that made it even more meaningful.

Whether you watched Gaga’s resurrection arc in a dorm room in Urbana, caught Post Malone’s set while babysitting your niece, or sat in your car outside a Walmart watching surprise guests explode across your screen—you felt it.

Coachella 2025 didn’t just entertain us. It reminded us that art still matters. That chaos can still be beautiful. That watching something from afar doesn’t mean you weren’t part of it.

So yeah, we stayed in Illinois. But Coachella? It got in us anyway.