The 'Thinkin Bout You' rapper suffered a serious injury after being involved in a bike accident days before he's set to perform at the festival, but it's still unclear why he began his set nearly an hour late.
- Apr 18, 2023
AceShowbiz - Frank Ocean was nursing an injury while he was performing at Coachella on Sunday, April 17. Amid criticism over his underwhelming performance, it has been reported that he suffered a serious ankle injury after being involved in a bike accident just days before he was scheduled to perform.
The accident occurred when the 35-year-old star was at Coachella rehearsing his set, according to TMZ. Sources tell the site that the rapper wasn't onstage though and that the mishap involved bikes used to roam around the Empire Polo Club grounds.
Due to his injury, doctors advised Frank to make a change to his production. One of the major changes reportedly involved the use of an ice rink, which was built for his set. A source says over 100 hockey players from L.A.-based hockey teams were cast for an unspecified paid performance. They had rehearsed on an elevated ice rink at Paramount Studios and even got transported to Coachella for a dress rehearsal the week before Frank's show.
The cast did join Frank onstage on Sunday, but the skating routine was scrapped. Instead, they joined the Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All member as background dancers, but they mostly walked rather than danced.
It's unclear though why Frank arrived at his set late and how his injury will affect his weekend 2 performance. He's scheduled to take the stage again on Sunday, April 23.
In the meantime, fans were still left disappointed following Frank's show over the weekend. Billed as the final act on Sunday night, the Long Beach native appeared onstage nearly an hour late. He was actually set to begin his set at 10:05 P.M., but it didn't begin until around 10:55 P.M., nearly a hour before the festival's usual 12 A.M. curfew.
The "Thinkin Bout You" hitmaker reportedly was lethargic throughout his set. He then cut his set short after performing a cover of The Isley Brothers' "At Your Best (You Are Love)". "Guys, I'm being told it's curfew, so that's the end of the show. Thank you so much," he told the audience before leaving the stage, leading fans to boo him.
Many soon took to social media to express their displease. A person who runs a Frank fanbase account on Twitter wrote, "listen. this fanbase is used to receiving crumbs but that doesn't mean we should accept those crumbs as good and act like we're grateful for them. frank confirming a new album is otw doesn't justify the rest of his actions last night."
"the fans deserved a genuine show from him. what they got was abysmal and (i'll say it) pretty disrespectful. people paid a lot of money and what they got was a lip syncing, chaotic mess. listen to the folks who were actually there," the fan continued.
While seemingly ready to forgive him, the fan hopes Frank makes up for his lackluster performance at the next show. "mistakes happen. plans change. production gets fumbled. frank ocean is not perfect! and being a frank ocean fan is complicated!!" the fan added. "that said, we hope he comes out next weekend and does his best to redeem himself. much love to you all."
