Justin Bieber posed with Mason Ramsey, better known as the Walmart yodeling kid, backstage after the 11-year-old performed in the high-wattage Sahara Tent.
Jamie Foxx turned up as a surprise guest to sing “Sexual Healing” with Kygo.
A giant Lifesavers-inspired tower that people can enter and climb is the centerpiece art this year.
Rachel Zoe hosted a packed bash in Palm Springs at the ZOEasis: Whitney Port, Olivia Culpo, Paris Hilton, Victoria Justice, Sara Foster and Erin Foster flank the host.
“The Walmart yodeling kid” (Mason Ramsey) caused a mini-stampede of people running in to the Sahara tent to see him perform with Whethan (in blue).
Jessie Ware and Randy Jackson led industry chats at the MoviePass x iHeartRadio Festival Chateau.
For months, Chance the Rapper had been rumored to be a 2018 headliner. Instead, he turned up to perform with Super Duper Kyle on the main stage.
Kyle also gave new meaning to the term “crowd surfing.”
Later in the night, Kygo brought “rain” to the desert with his background visuals. Rita Ora performed Selena Gomez’s part in “It Ain’t Me.”
Jesse Williams got prime real estate in the Heineken House to check out Bustah Rhymes on Saturday night, the marquee performer at the festival beer partner’s three day house part within the festival. The Heineken House was near capacity all weekend long, remaining one of savvy festival fans’ favorite nooks.
With UTA-repped artists Jamiroquai, Post Malone, LANY, and PVRIS playing the fields, music agents Mike Guirguis and Chris Jordan, Director of Corporate Communications Lisa Stein, Global Head of Music David Zedeck and UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer huddled in the artist compound.
L.A. couple Natalie Kanooni and Omeed Jalali got engaged in front of the famed Ferris wheel on the opening day.
Edoardo Tresoldi’s ETHEREA installation looks like a hologram, but it isn’t. The Italian artist’s “translucent, ghostly works” took on a new hue after dark.
Google and their Pixel phone were all over the festival. In addition to Pixel photo cabins on the famed ferris wheel, music photographer Gunner Stahl shot artists backstage. Nearby, this giant Google Home Max speaker was turned inside out, allowing those with “Artist” wristbands to go inside and request their own music. Sample: “Hey Google, play ‘Bad and Bougee’ by Migos…’, and it would.
Goldenvoice debuted a revamped, expanded and relocated “Sahara Tent.” Rotating the famed dance tent to “landscape mode” and adding panoramic visuals alleviated all of the tent’s prior overcrowding pain points. People could actually dance with their friends. Bravo!
More to come…
