Frank Ocean Pulls Out Of Coachella Weekend 2, Citing Leg Injury

After performing last weekend, Frank Ocean has pulled out of what was to be his second scheduled headlining set at Coachella, representatives for the musician said Wednesday. 

Ocean was due to play the main stage this coming Sunday for Weekend 2 of the Southern California music festival. Ocean was part of the first entirely non-white lineup of headliners in the festival's history. 

However, his representatives said Wednesday that his first show was quickly reworked due to a leg injury Ocean suffered sometime before the weekend. 

"After suffering an injury to his leg on festival grounds in the week leading up to weekend 1, Frank Ocean was unable to perform the intended show but was still intent on performing, and in 72 hours, the show was reworked out of necessity," Ocean's representative said in a statement to Entertainment Tonight. 

"On doctor's advice, Frank is not able to perform weekend 2 due to two fractures and a sprain in his left leg," representatives added. 

The cause and circumstances of his leg injury were unclear. 

The cancellation follows Ocean's unusual headlining performance last weekend, his first in nearly six years. The show started an hour late. Shortly before the set, the livestream was dropped from YouTube. For most of the performance, Ocean was reportedly difficult to see, even on the stage's giant monitors, as he was surrounded by dancers and bandmates and further obscured by a closed-off stage. At several points, he appeared to be lip-synching. Ocean also abruptly ended the show after a little over an hour, telling to the audience, "Guys, I'm being told that's curfew, so that's the end of the show."

Wednesday's statement from Ocean's representatives ended with Ocean himself saying of his performance: "'It was chaotic. There is some beauty in chaos. It isn't what I intended to show but I did enjoy being out there and I'll see you soon.' — Frank Ocean." 

On their podcast "Empty Netters," brothers Dan and Chris Powers — both ice hockey players — claimed Ocean's original performance was to involve 120 ice skaters and a skating rink. The brothers said they were supposed to have been part of Ocean's performance. 

"We're then waiting outside at three. We got our skates, we're ready to rock. The bus of all the other skaters who weren't at Coachella already has arrived. They're all sitting in wardrobe. It's a nightmare. We sit at this hotel and we run into the figure skaters— these Olympic figure skaters, mind you. And they have a disgruntled look on their faces, and they casually mention to us that they just got a phone call and they've been cut from the show."

Later, the brothers were invited backstage to watch the performance. Dan Powers described it as "the weirdest show ever." 

"The wheels have fallen off," he said. "He starts playing these songs and he's doing the throat slash thing to his musicians in the middle of songs. They're stopping. No one has a clue what's going on."

"One thing that made me genuinely sad," Chris Powers said. "Spending some time with him over the last several weeks, he really cares about the production. He had a very clear vision, and even though that vision changed a lot, he was always on us, helping us, making sure everyone hit what he was picturing in his mind."

Coachella was fined $117,000 over the three days of Weekend 1 for breaking curfew regulations, Pitchfork reported, adding that Ocean's set cost the festival about $40,000. 

Not everyone was critical, however. On Instagram, Justin Bieber paid tribute to the show: "I was blown away by Frank Oceans Coachella performance. His artistry is simply unmatched, his style, his taste, his voice, his attention to detail."

First published on April 19, 2023 / 9:00 PM

© 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.