10 Rock + Metal Moments That Happened at Coachella 2026's Opening Weekend

While Coachella may not be as rock heavy as it was in the early years, there were still plenty of buzzy moments from the opening weekend of this year's festival that featured members of the rock and metal world. So let's shine a light on how rock and metal made its impact on Coachella 2026 over the course of Week 1.

David Lee Roth "Jumps" In on Teddy Swims' Set

Though not billed for the 2026 festival, what better place for a showman to be than at Coachella during its opening weekend. And that's where we found former Van Halen singer David Lee Roth joining the powerful Teddy Swims onstage during his late afternoon set Friday (April 10).

Swims made it clear during his performance that there might be special guests by using an audio setup of a doorbell sound to queue fans that someone would be dropping by. After early appearances by Joe Jonas and Vanessa Carlton, David Lee Roth made his presence felt.

“Oh my God! It’s David Lee Roth from the best fucking band of all time, Van Halen," exclaimed Swims as the singer joined him onstage. After a quick embrace, the two singers then teamed up for a performance of the 1984 classic, "Jump."

Decked out in a bedazzled leather vest and tight pants combo, the legendary frontman spun and gyrated onstage while delivering the timeless track. He even strutted down the oversized Coachella catwalk while twirling a microphone stand like a baton during the tune's famous guitar solo.

Turnstile Return to the Concert Stage With Emotional Introduction

Turnstile have been in the headlines of late for drama outside of the music world as former band member Brady Ebert attempted to hit the 79-year-old Bill Yates, the father of singer Brendan Yates, with his car. The elder Yates suffered a broken bone and required surgery, but managed to give his son's band a well-received shoutout to introduce their Coachella performance on Friday (April 10).

READ MORE: Police Release New Details on Brady Ebert Attempted Murder Charge

“I’m Bill Yates, I’m the proud father of Brendan. They’re all sons of mine. They’ve been practicing in the house for about 13 years now, just recently they grew too big for the basement. And finally now, after a dozen years, practically, they’re at a point where the larger the venue the better, because they just enjoy the energy. To all the fans out there, we love you and Turnstile loves you, enjoy the ride.”

What a ride it was as the band played a 12-song set that opened with "Never Enough" after Yates' introduction, featured a guest turn by Blood Orange on "Seein' Stars" and closed out with the Grammy-winning "Birds."

As you might expect with Turnstile, this was one of the more livelier crowds of the weekend.

Turnstile 2026 Coachella Setlist

1. "Never Enough"
2. "T.L.C. (Turnstile Love Connection)"
3. "Endless"
4. "I Care / Dull"
5. "Don't PLay"
6. "Sole"
7. "Seein' Stars" (with Blood Orange)
8. "Holiday"
9. "Look Out for Me"
10. "Mystery"
11. "Blackout"
12. "Birds"

Making Some Nine Inch Noize in the Desert

Though initially booked for Friday, Nine Inch Noize, the collaboration of Nine Inch Nails with producer Boys Noize, delivered one of Coachella's more memorable sets on Saturday (April 11).

Boys Noise has been touring with Nine Inch Nails, worked with them on their Tron: Ares soundtrack and has hopped up onstage for collaborations during the recent tour. But this marked the full-on live debut under the Nine Inch Noize moniker which saw the band delivering remixed and reimagined versions of NIN songs with a more theatrical flare.

The 11-song set also found Reznor wife and How to Destroy Angels collaborator Mariqueen Maandig taking on a more prominent vocal role on six of the 11 songs, appearing on "Vessel," "She's Gone Away," "Heresy," "Paraside," "Came Back Haunted" and the set closer, "As Alive As You Need Me to Be."

As stated, there was a more theatric element to the performances with a group of anonymous dancers and an eye-catching projection and light show wowing the audience throughout. One of the more interesting moments came when the horde of zombified dancers approached Trent Reznor during "Closer," attempting to pull him down into their mass before everyone tumbled down a stage incline.

The appearance was timed to meet with a new Nine Inch Noize album that shows off their unique collaboration.

Nine Inch Noize 2026 Coachella Setlist

1. "Vessel" (with Mariqueen Maandig)
2. "She's Gone Away" (with Mariqueen Maandig)
3. "Heresy" (with Mariqueen Maandig)
4. "Parasite" (with Mariqueen Maandig)
5. "Copy of A"
6. "Me, I'm Not"
7. "Closer"
8. "The Warning"
9. "Memorabilia" (Soft Cell cover)
10. "Came Back Haunted" (with Mariqueen Maandig)
11. "As Alive As You Need Me to Be" (with Mariqueen Maandig)

David Byrne Still Has People Talking

Former Talking Heads leader David Byrne has still got it.

The 73-year-old Talking Heads vocalist leaned heavily on the catalog of his former band, rocking out such classics as "And She Was," "(Nothing But) Flowers," "Psycho Killer," "Once in a Lifetime" and "Burning Down the House" among others during his Saturday 13-song setlist.

Byrne largely stuck to the music, while offering a few more subtle jabs at the current political climate in the world. After "The Must Be the Place," he uttered to the crowd, "Love and kindness are a form of resistance." Later in the set, the backing video showed footage of anti-ICE and pro-Palestine protests as "Life During Wartime" played.

David Byrne 2026 Coachella Setlist

1. "Everybody Laughs"
2. "And She Was"
3. "Strange Overtones"
4. "Houses in Motion"
5. "(Nothing But) Flowers"
6. "This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)"
7. "What Is the Reason For It?"
8. "Slippery People"
9. "When We Are Singing"
10. "Psycho Killer"
11. "Life During Wartime"
12. "Once in a Lifetime"
13. "Burning Down the House"

Jack White Delivers Blistering 13-Song Coachella Set

Jack White was a very late addition to the Coachella bill, being added just a week ahead of the performance. But he made the most of an hour-long set at Coachella's Mojave Tent Saturday (April 11).

The 13-song set was a perfect career-spanning blend of old and new, pulling out the requisite White Stripes classics, digging into his solo career and even tossing in a Raconteurs favorites as well as showcasing the two new songs he dropped just ahead of the performance.

"G.O.D." and the Broken Ribs" and "Derecho Demonico" seemed to settle in just fine amidst a blistering performance that concludes with a raucous response to the stadium anthem, "Seven Nation Army."

Jack White 2026 Coachella Setlist

1. "That's How I'm Feeling"
2. "Fell in Love With a Girl"
3. "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground"
4. "Old Scratch Blues"
5. "G.O.D. and the Broken Ribs"
6. "It's Rough on Rats (If You're Asking)"
7. "Icky Thump"
8. "Derecho Demonico"
9. "Lazaretto"
10. "Archbishop Harold Holmes"
11. "Ball and Biscuit"
12. "Steady, As She Goes"
13. "Seven Nation Army"

The Strokes Got Jokes

With a long history and a cachet of cool, it was a little surprising to see The Strokes second-billed on Saturday's (April 11) Coachella lineup, but singer Julian Casablancas took it all in stride with a few humorous pokes at their billing. At one point, he told that this year was "fulfilling our lifelong dream" of opening for Justin Bieber. "I'm here for him too," added the singer. Elsewhere, he also noted of playing opposite PinkPanthress, "They fucked us."

Performance slot aside, The Strokes made the most of their time onstage at Coachella ripping through classic songs during a 15-song set and taking shots at both commercialism and the ongoing war.

The Strokes 2026 Coachella Set

1. "Bad Decisions"
2. "Hard to Explain"
3. "Selfless"
4. "Someday"
5. "Going Shopping"
6. "Juicebox"
7. "Last Nite"
8. "Under Control"
9. "You Only Live Once"
10. "The Adults Are Talking"
11. "New York City Cops"
12. "Reptilia"
13. "Automatic Stop"
14. "Take It or Leave It"
15. "What Ever Happened?"

Other Notable Moments

- Iggy Pop leaves the Coachella stage inside a black coffin. He's turning 79 this coming week.

- Alt-rock star Sombr welcomed "rock royalty" to the stage during his set, inviting Billy Corgan out for his Coachella debut as they teamed up on a performance of Smashing Pumpkins' "1979."

- Suicidal Tendencies welcomed Thundercat to their lineup for the final three songs of their eight-song set. The set also featured a hard-hitting performance of "Send Me Your Money" (seen below).

- SZA rocked an Every Time I Die t-shirt during her appearance with Justin Bieber at Coachella.

See other rock and metal festivals and cruises that are on tap for 2026 in the gallery below.