Florence + The Machine gives transcendent Coachella performance

Damn it is good to see Florence + The Machine on the main stage at Coachella.

Another of the seemingly endless Coachella legacy performers, Florence Welch definitely outshined the evening headliner Drake, and was probably one of the two or three best performances of the entire weekend.

Welch’s energy was sky high. She ran across the stage, often banging against a tambourine. She hit notes that nobody else on the bill could probably achieve.

One funny occasion in the set was when Florence did the Calvin Harris track that she contributed vocals to “Sweet Nothing.” Some really young girls near me were talking about it, a little confused. “Wait, Florence + the Machine is the same girl that is on that Calvin Harris song?” Noobs.

After getting that one out the way, Florence shared the new “How Big How Blue How Beautiful,” which will appear on her upcoming album due out in June. It was great to hear that and other new songs, like “Ship to Wreck,” and new single “What Kind of Man,” but those that stayed the duration got what they wanted in the set-closing “Shake It Out” and “Dog Days Are Over.”

Between Florence. St. Vincent (aka Annie Clark), Marina and the Diamonds, and Jenny Lewis, the women ruled Coachella on Sunday night. If there’s any female rocker moving closer to being a potential headliner down the line than Welch, I’m listening.

UPDATE: Florence announced via social media that she broke her foot jumping off the stage during this performance. She said it won’t affect her remaining tour dates except that she’ll have to scale things back.

Words: Mark E. Ortega

Photography: Monique Hernandez