Anyma pulled from Coachella

Anyma’s Friday-night Coachella set was canceled just after midnight when strong winds made his main-stage production unsafe to run. (billboard.com) Billboard reported the cancellation came about 15 minutes after Anyma’s scheduled 12 a.m. slot on Friday, April 10, during Weekend 1 in Indio, California. Coachella and the artist said the wind was affecting his stage build and that safety drove the decision. (billboard.com (rollingstone.com)) The canceled performance was supposed to close the Coachella Stage on opening night, after a Friday schedule that had already listed Anyma in the midnight slot. Other day-by-day festival schedules remained posted as coverage shifted to Saturday’s lineup. (billboard.com (inmusicblog.com)) The late-night cancellation hit one of the festival’s biggest electronic sets, because Anyma had been billed for the world premiere of his new “ÆDEN” show. Coverage before the festival had pointed to a main-stage production built around his large-format visuals and midnight placement. (timeout.com (edm.com)) Weather was a festival-wide problem, not just a one-set issue. Local coverage said gusts in the Coachella Valley were expected to reach 50 miles per hour, with blowing dust and an air-quality advisory extending into Saturday morning. (dailynews.com (desertsun.com)) The Desert Sun reported wind also disrupted campgrounds and other parts of the site, making the Anyma cancellation part of a broader weather scramble on opening night. The Los Angeles Times, via Yahoo’s pickup, said weather-related performance cancellations at Coachella are unusual even though windy desert conditions are common. (desertsun.com (yahoo.com)) Anyma, whose real name is Matteo Milleri, told fans after the cancellation that he was “truly devastated” and “working on a solution.” By Saturday, he said there were no open slots to stage the full “ÆDEN” show during Weekend 1. (variety.com (desertsun.com)) As of Billboard’s report, Anyma was still scheduled for Coachella’s second weekend, which runs April 17 to April 19. For Weekend 1, the festival’s opening-night closer never happened, and the wind became the story. (billboard.com)