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 Outkast, formed by Atlanta rappers Andre 3000 and Big Boi,
kicked off the anticipated set with "B.O.B" from the duo's 2000
album "Stankonia," before taking it back to the 1990s with
singles such as "ATLiens" and "Skew It on the Bar-B."
"It's good to be back," Big Boi, real name Antwan Andre Patton,
said on the Coachella stage against the backdrop of the Southern
California desert lit up at night.
Outkast last worked together on 2006 album "Idlewild," from
which the rappers performed "Vibrate" and "Bowtie."
The duo were joined by soul singer Janelle Monae on the stage as
they sang her hit "Tightrope," and then by rapper Future, who
rose to fame in the 1990s hip-hop scene.
The rappers saved their best for last, bringing out their most
mainstream hits "Ms Jackson," "The Way You Move" and "Hey Ya" at
the end, before the set was cut short at 1:00 a.m. (4:00 a.m.
ET), inciting boos from the crowd and apologies from Andre 3000.
The reunion received mixed early reviews from fans at the
festival and watching live online, with some complaining that
the band's set was not upbeat enough for a headliner, while
others praised the rappers for performing their classic songs as
well as the mainstream hits.
WARM-UP
Ahead of Outkast's headlining set late on Friday, music lovers
watched artists such as Ellie Goulding, Grouplove, ZZ Ward and
Aloe Blacc perform in the open field of the festival, against
the backdrop of the Southern California desert.
Coachella is the first major festival of the summer live music
scene, and is often an important stop for an artist on the rise,
as the festival has helped launch artists into the U.S.
mainstream industry.
Recent success stories include Florence + The Machine, and
electronic music DJs Skrillex and Calvin Harris, the latter two
both returning this year.
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 This year, British singer-songwriter Tom Odell made his
Coachella debut, playing the Mojave tent on Friday at midday.
The singer said being at the festival was an important stop for
an artist on the rise.
"It's one of those festivals that's in the back of people's
minds," Odell said. "It's something musicians talk about and
know about, it's pretty cool to come over here and play, it's
definitely significant."
The 23-year-old singer released his debut album "Long Way Down"
last year, and has been touring extensively to promote it,
hoping that fans will connect to his songs, such as the
piano-led ballad "Another Love," after they watch him live.
"It's an energy, I think it's about getting back in the headspace
of when you wrote the song, and performing it like that, and putting
everything you've got into it, I think that's the most important
thing," Odell said about performing live.
Other headlining acts for the three-day weekend are British rockers
Muse on Saturday and Canadian indie rock band Arcade Fire on Sunday,
while notable acts include R&B singer Pharrell and alt-rockers
Foster The People and Lana Del Rey.
The festival hosts the same line-up for two consecutive weekends.
While Coachella organizers Goldenvoice do not release attendance or
ticket figures themselves, more than 158,000 tickets were sold
across both weekends last year, according to concert-tracking
website Pollstar.com.
(Editing by Robert Birsel and Alison Williams)
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