Billie Eilish already made history as the youngest person to headline Coachella when she took the stage on Saturday night. So it may have been surprising to her young fans that among her guest stars was a 54-year-old: Damon Albarn, of Blur, Gorillaz and The Good, the Bad and the Queen fame. Appropriately, he joined in for the song “Getting Older,” after which she helped cover Gorillaz’s “Feel Good Inc.” (with Posdnuos of De La Soul lending a hand).
FEEL GOOD INC ✨@billieeilish x @Damonalbarn at #Coachella pic.twitter/c32dMfF4LN
— Damon Albarn Unofficial (@DamonUnofficial) April 17, 2022
“Shut the fuck up and pls give a fucking warm welcome to Gorillaz Damon Albarn,” said Eilish in introducing the singer. “This is the craziest shit I’ve ever experienced,” she continued. “This man changed my life in a lot of ways, and changed my complete view of what music could be, and what art could be, and what creation could be. My first favorite band ever was the Good, the Bad and the Queen when I was six years-old and Blur changed the world and Gorillaz changed the world and this man is literally a genius, and that’s that.”
Albarn was the second surprise of her set, following an appearance by Khalid for the song “Lovely.”
Billie eilish and Khalid – Lovely, Coachella pic.twitter/h8aGfEaA9A
— kdkrown (@girlonsaturn__) April 17, 2022
Eilish’s set, which ran through nearly 25 songs, was an exercise in pure showmanship, taking the crowd to musical highs and even some lows, like when the singer implored the audience to crouch, then jump, while she and her dancers amped up the energy. Eilish’s whispery vocals pierced through the drone, ably played by her brother Finneas, as well as the drums, which took on their own ferocity as the show neared its end — particularly on the closer, “Happier Than Ever.”
It was a sentiment Eilish carried throughout the set, stopping to tell the audience, “I want us to be grateful that we are alive and breathing and we’re here. It’s been such a crazy three years and we deserve to feel good and be happy and feel safe and calm.”
Clearly relishing her time onstage, Eilish did a victory lap at show’s end, blowing kisses to her fans and waving enthusiastically as she exited .
See below for her full set list:
Bury a Friend
I Didn’t Change My Number
NDA
Therefore I Am
My Strange Addiction
idontwannabeyouanymore
Lovely
You Should See Me in a Crown
Billie Bossa Nova
GOLDWING
Halley’s Comet
Oxytocin
Ilomilo
I Love You
Your Power
Overheated
Bellyache
Ocean Eyes
Getting Older
Feel Good Inc.
When the Party’s Over
All the Good Girls Go to Hell
Everything I Wanted
Bad Guy
Happier Than Ever
