Coachella: America’s surprising political playground

IT IS known for celebrity spotting and being a non-stop party, but there is a serious side to this famous music festival.

2016 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival - Weekend 1 - Day 2

“F**K Donald Trump!”

More than 20,000 festival-goers stood in the crowd and chanted this line on day one of Coachella, setting the pace for a whole weekend’s worth of political surprises.

US rapper YG, who joined DJ Mustard during his set in the Sahara tent on Friday, used his guest appearance to get personal, whipping the pumped-up fans into a frenzy with his anti-Trump anthem, FDT.

With middle fingers in the air, the California-based performer delivered his three-minute rant, warning Trump to stay out of Los Angeles, promising riots at rallies and predicting that the Republican presidential frontrunner will be assassinated.

“Surprised El Chapo ain’t tried to snipe you. Surprised the Nation of Islam ain’t tried to find you,” he sung. “Have a rally out in LA, we gon’ f*** it up.

“You built walls? We gon’ prolly dig holes. And if your a** do win, you gon’ prolly get smoked.”

The controversial song, which could be heard across the entire Empire Polo Club in Indio where the annual music festival is held, attracted an even bigger crowd carrying signs and placards denouncing Trump.

The rapper later posted a video of the expletive-laden performance to his Facebook page:

Coachella day 1 @YG @DJmustard #FDT pic.twitter.com/ztVSuIss9q

— samuel alemayhu (@sammynw) April 16, 2016

Bernie Sanders introduces hip-hop duo Run The Jewels to the main stage via video at Coachella. Picture: Kevin Winter/Getty

But it didn’t end there. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders made a surprise appearance in the desert, introducing rap duo Run the Jewels to the main stage via a 45-second video.

“One of the highlights of running for president over the course of this last year has been getting to know Killer Mike,” the Senator said in the prerecorded clip. “His depth of passion, his knowledge and commitment to community is an inspiration to me and I value his friendship immensely.”

Killer Mike, one half of the US hip-hop supergroup, has been a prominent Sanders supporter for months now, stumping for the Vermont Senator at rallies and on social media.

“El-P, keep up the great work and let’s get to know each other better in the months to come,” he said of the group’s other member, New York-based rapper-producer El-P, who has also expressed his support for Sanders.

“I thought the least I could do for both of you was to help you out by bringing a few young people together,” he told the screaming crowd. The pair then took the stage to the sound of Queen’s We are the Champions.

Hip-hop artist Killer Mike of Run The Jewels performs onstage during day 2 of Coachella.

Yep. This happened. Don't miss the live stream at 6pm. @berniesanders. https://t.co/WcFohlsyJT pic.twitter.com/U4eCDDDKDf

— Run The Jewels (@runjewels) April 17, 2016

Whoa. Bernie Sanders just introduced Run The Jewels' #Coachella set via video. Maybe Hillary Clinton will counter by introducing Ice Cube?

— Jason Lipshutz (@jasonlipshutz) April 17, 2016

Also on Saturday night, Canadian songstress Grimes hit the Mojave tent, using a huge graphic of Bernie Sanders as a backdrop during her set.

The massive endorsement for the Democratic presidential nominee dropped down while she was performing her track, Oblivion, sending the crowd of thousands wild with excitement. The likes of Taylor Swift, Lorde and Haim were all cheering and dancing in the front row.

#Grimes Endorses #BernieSanders #Coachella Stage! #Together #FeelTheBern #Eection #Bernie #Grimes #Election2016 🇺🇸✌️ pic.twitter.com/XoAW74HnCK

— Inda Luciano (@IndaLiza) April 17, 2016

Sunday afternoon saw Young Fathers, an experimental hip-hop trio from Scotland, bring a political edge to their set on the Outdoor stage.

Band member Graham “G” Hastings told the crowd that they wanted a world with “no borders, no flags” and called out Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump, who has campaigned against immigration.

“We are Young Fathers, but we are all migrants. Everyone of you, everyone of us, whether you like it or not,” Hastings said.

Scotland's @Youngfathers tell #Coachella: "We are all migrants... whether you like it or not" and curse Trump pic.twitter.com/qxm4V3Fln6

— Shaun Tandon (@shauntandon) April 17, 2016

One of this year’s art installations, a giant wall of flowers spelling the phrase ‘Besame Mucho’, raised a few eyebrows as many believed it was making a direct statement about the current political climate. The expression, which translates from Spanish into ‘Kiss me many times’, makes it clear that the festival extends a welcome to the United States’ Latin neighbours, rather than locking them out as some GOP candidates have proposed.

The flower-adorned edifice, which gets lit up beautifully as the sun sets over Coachella Valley each evening, has become a popular place for festival-goers to pose for photos.

‘Besame Mucho’ by R&R Studios in Argentina, lit up at night at Coachella. Picture: David McNew

Off the stage, Sanders was receiving a great deal of support from festival-goers, with plenty proudly donning T-shirts bearing his name. Local volunteers have even put together a two-day block party for the 74-year-old Senator ahead of Coachella’s second weekend, dubbed “Berniechella”. Musical acts such as Zoe Kravitz, Ozomatli, Alex Ebert and Venus and the Moon will be playing in the desert on Thursday and Friday in his honour.

It’s not surprising though. Throughout his campaign, Sanders has appealed to America’s youth and counter culture with his vision for reform and equality, more than any other presidential candidate.

Campaign Central at #Coachella #trump #feelthebern #decisions pic.twitter.com/uPoJ64jhJT

— Miles (@mileshimmel) April 17, 2016

Coachella has a huge platform, with more than 100,000 music lovers attending the perennially sold-out festival last weekend and even more headed for the desert in the coming days.

Sanders, while currently trailing former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by 741 pledged and super delegates, has won the past seven out of nine contests and vows to stay in the race until California has cast its votes.

With the Golden State shaping up to be a vital contest between the pair, Sanders’ campaign knows that it will need to win big in the state’s presidential primaries on June 7.

All eyes will be on weekend two of Coachella as it starts today in Indio to see whether Bernie pops up on stage again during any performances.

Calvin Harris performs on the main stage on day three of Coachella, 2016. Picture: Christopher Polk