Weekend one of the Coachella Music & Arts Festival commences this Friday on the sun-bleached polo fields of Indio, Calif. And with a lineup ranging from massive (Beyoncé, Eminem, the Weeknd, Cardi B), to old-school (David Byrne, X Japan, Jamiroquai, Nild Rodgers) to up–and-coming (BØRNS, Fidlar, Chloe x Hale), it’s sure to be a festival to remember.

But will any moment of Coachella 2018 be as memorable as our top picks from the past 19 years? We’ll soon find out…

15. Hans Zimmer Is the New (Lion) King of the Festival Circuit (2017)

Many doubted that the 59-year-old German film composer Hans Zimmer, age 59, would be a major draw, but Zimmer turned out to be the king of Coachella last year — attracting masses of millennials who practically openly wept and generally lost their minds as a massive orchestra played his instantly recognizable movie scores under the desert stars. As the show simultaneously live-streamed on YouTube, “Hans Zimmer” even became a trending topic on Twitter for several hours.

14. Sia’s Not-So-Cheap Thrills (2016)

Calling Sia’s historic Coachella set a mere “concert” does it a massive injustice. To borrow a phrase from Sia’s sixth album, this was acting. This was performance art. As the wig-topped pop provocateur appeared onstage looking like a living art installation, her breakaway gown “gave birth” to a litter of contemporary dancers — and that was just during the first verse of the opening number! After that, over the course of an awe-inspiring hour featuring avant choreography by Ryan Heffington; dramatically angst-y plotlines; and virtual cameos by Kristen Wiig, Paul Dano, Gaby Hoffman, Tig Notaro, and Maddie Ziegler, Sia challenged and redefined the very notions of what a live festival experience can be. Sia truly is the greatest.

13. A Whole Lotta Axl Rose-ie (2016)

Day two of last year’s Coachella was basically “Cameochella,” featuring an array of surprise appearances by everyone from a triumphant and defiant Kesha, to a mini-N.W.A. reunion, to even a virtual Bernie Sanders. But perhaps no cameo was as shocking as when schoolboy-suited axeman Angus Young pranced out during Guns N’ Roses’ main stage reunion set to perform AC/DC’s “Whole Lotta Rosie” and “Riff Raff” — with GNR’s Axl Rose on impressively screechy lead vocals. “Since I can’t run around for you, we’re going to bring out a friend to put a little life into things for us. Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Angus Young!” an obviously excited Rose, sitting on the throne he famously borrowed from Dave Grohl with his still-broken foot propped up in a cast. Suffice to say, even if Rose’s foot hadn’t healed by the time he joined AC/DC for the remainder of the group’s Rock or Bust tour the following month, this was a must-see tour. Rose, a longtime massive AC/DC fan, sounded perfect in this role.

12. Pharrell Williams and Gwen Stefani Put on a Hella Good Performance (2014)



Coachella 2014 was also cameo-filled, with surprise appearances by Billie Joe Armstrong, Debbie Harry, Justin Bieber, Slash, Jay Z, Mary J. Blige, and even this year’s Coachella no-show, Beyoncé. But the Great Hatted One’s all-star set was still the standout of the weekend. Nelly, Busta Rhymes, Puff Daddy, Diplo, and Snoop Dogg all joined in on the fun, but the crowd really got “happy” when Pharrell’s bestie and future Voice co-star Gwen Stefani emerged — looking amazing less than two months after giving birth to her third child — to sing “Hollaback Girl” (which Pharrell produced in 2004 as one half of the hit-making Neptunes team). “My album’s called GIRL,” Pharrell announced, “and I can tell you right now, there’s only one incredible, historical, most important, incredibly talented, f***ing awesome, rad girl in world.” (Video below contains profanity.)

11. Kanye West Literally Touches the Sky (2011)

Coachella has always been a massive affair, but leave it to 2011’s Sunday headliner to elevate the fest to an entire new level — literally, by arriving to the main stage via a glowing crane, rotating 30 feet above thousands of amazed spectators, and asking the musical question, “Can we get much higher?” (Video below contains profanity.)

10. Madonna Gets Into the Dance Tent Groove (2006)

The hype surrounding Madonna’s first-ever festival performance (in the dance tent, not on the main stage) was huge. But in retrospect, this was a worse idea than that time when she posed nude with Vanilla Ice. Practically all 60,000 Coachella attendees tried to shoehorn themselves into the 10,000-capacity space, and especially desperate fans even climbed atop nearby porta-potties to get a clearer glimpse of the leotarded diva — refusing to budge when the beefed-up security staff tried to yank them down, or even when the Andy Gumps’ flimsy plastic roofs started to buckle under their weight. When the woman of the hour was still nowhere to be seen 20 minutes after her advertised set time, and the crowd began to get restless, ominous visions of the Who in Cincinnati and other concert disasters raced through worried spectators’ minds. Those who eventually managed to see Madge were treated to a mere six songs. Others just counted their lucky stars that they’d made it out unscathed. (Madonna made Coachella news again in 2015, when she showed up for an awkward makeout session during Drake’s set.)

Story continues