Coachella: Rock Standouts

Weekend 2 reviews from Coachella 2026 pushed a clear rock story: Turnstile, David Byrne, Iggy Pop, Joyce Manor, Royel Otis and sombr dominated the post-festival write-ups. (rockcellarmagazine.com) Coachella’s 2026 festival ran across April 10-12 and April 17-19 in Indio, California, and the official lineup included David Byrne, Iggy Pop, Joyce Manor, Royel Otis, sombr and Turnstile. (coachella.com) Rock Cellar Magazine’s Weekend 2 roundup singled out those acts as the festival’s top rock performances, while Vogue Hong Kong’s broader highlights package also pointed to Byrne, Iggy Pop and Turnstile among the sets defining the second weekend. (rockcellarmagazine.com, voguehk.com) The coverage centered on songs people already know. David Byrne’s April 18 setlist included Talking Heads staples “This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody),” “Psycho Killer,” “Life During Wartime,” “Once in a Lifetime” and “Burning Down the House.” (setlist.fm) Iggy Pop’s April 19 Mojave set leaned just as hard on catalog power, with “The Passenger,” “Lust for Life,” “I Wanna Be Your Dog,” “Search and Destroy,” “1970” and “1969” in one performance. (setlist.fm) Turnstile’s April 17 Outdoor Theatre set gave the weekend a newer hardcore-punk edge, with songs including “HOLIDAY,” “MYSTERY,” “BLACKOUT” and “SEEIN’ STARS,” the last of them performed with Blood Orange. (setlist.fm) Joyce Manor’s April 17 Gobi set kept the emphasis on short, familiar songs, including “Constant Headache,” “Cody” and “Million Dollars to Kill Me.” Royel Otis’ April 18 Mojave set mixed originals with “Murder on the Dancefloor” and a Cranberries cover of “Linger.” (setlist.fm, setlist.fm) Sombr’s April 18 Outdoor Theatre set supplied the weekend’s clearest rock cameo. He brought out Billy Idol and Steve Stevens for “Eyes Without a Face” and also played Radiohead’s “Fake Plastic Trees,” according to NME and setlist records. (nme.com, setlist.fm) That mix of legacy names, guest spots and recognizable covers helped separate the rock conversation from a festival otherwise led by pop and crossover headliners. USA Today wrote that Weekend 2 “seemed to clearly outshine Weekend 1,” and BrooklynVegan’s livestream preview grouped Turnstile, Iggy Pop and David Byrne among the weekend’s must-watch sets. (usatoday.com, brooklynvegan.com) By the time the desert cleared on April 19, the rock story was less about one comeback than a stack of proof points: Byrne and Iggy Pop for endurance, Turnstile and Joyce Manor for scene credibility, Royel Otis for crossover, and sombr for the guest moment people kept replaying. (rockcellarmagazine.com, nme.com)