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Beyoncé was supposed to headline Coachella last year. That didn’t end up happening. Instead, she got pregnant with twins, and Lady Gaga ended up filling in for her as the first woman to headline Coachella in 10 years. But Beyoncé promised she would be back in 2018, and Beyoncé always keeps her promises. So she came back, and became the first woman of color to ever headline the festival. “Coachella, thanks for allowing me to be the first black woman to headline,” she told the crowd during her epic two-hour set. “Ain’t that ’bout a bitch?”

When Beyoncé took the stage at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, last night, she seemed determined to make up for lost time by making the show as momentous as it could possibly be. First, she opened with a performance of “Crazy In Love” backed up by dozens of step dancers and an entire New Orleans-style marching band, and the surprises didn’t stop coming there. Her husband JAY-Z joined her onstage for “Déjà Vu.” Her sister Solange came out to dance during an extended version of “Get Me Bodied.” She sang “Lift Every Voice And Sing,” the song also known as the “Black National Anthem.” And she reunited Destiny’s Child.

Rumors of a Destiny’s Child reunion had been swirling in recent months, and sure enough Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams walked out to join Beyoncé onstage. They performed “Lose My Breath,” “Say My Name,” and “Soldier,” and helped cement Beyoncé’s Coachella set as an instantly iconic one. “I was supposed to perform last year but I got pregnant, thank God,” Beyoncé said before closing her set with an a cappella rendition of “Love On Top.” “I had time to dream with two beautiful souls in my belly and this is everything and more I had in my dream, so thank you for sharing this with me. I want to sing this last song to all my incredible, beautiful fans. Loyal fans. Ride or dies. I love y’all.”

 

Originally posted on STEREOGUM.COM