Despite being one of the most anticipated performances at Coachella 2023, Frank Ocean canceled his Weekend 2 Coachella set due to a variety of factors, including a physical injury.
As a result, the massive team behind his ostensibly massive spectacle performance spilled the beans when the ostensibly “Frank Ocean on Ice” began melting before their very eyes.
According to TMZ, Frank Ocean’s representatives confirmed that the singer would not perform at Coachella’s second week. The announcement followed his divisive first-week performance, which enraged many fans who had been waiting for him for six years.
Fans complained about his late arrival, dimly lit stage, and lip-syncing issues. Some called the performance “lackluster,” although it had been widely hyped, and it was his first performance in years.
Rumors circulated that Frank had been injured days before the performance, forcing the cancellation of an elaborate and technical set that would feature ice skaters from the valley festival.
As unconfirmed reports began circulating, fans weighed in on his performance, with Justin Bieber even expressing his admiration for Ocean’s outstanding performance.
The statements made by Frank Ocean’s representatives, on the other hand, stunned everyone.
They announced:
“After suffering an injury to his leg on festival grounds in the week leading up to weekend 1, Frank Ocean was unable to perform the intended show but was still intent on performing, and in 72 hours, the show was reworked out of necessity,”
According to Dan and Chris Powers, former ice hockey players, on their “Empty Netters” podcast, a hundred and twenty skaters were recruited to accompany Ocean in his Coachella performance.
The “intense” rehearsals culminated on April 11 with a dress rehearsal in Indio, California. However, “wheels started to fall off” when they learned that Olympic figure skaters who had also been recruited had been cut from the production.
Dan Powers recalled:
“Those figure skaters got cut not because there was an ice issue, not because there was something wrong. There was no malfunction. He just straight-up was like, ‘F-k this. I’m not doing this anymore.'”
Despite this, both Dan and Chris had the highest regard for Ocean, who they say had the vision but, due to circumstances, did not see it through.