Frank Ocean Cancels Performance for Coachella's Second Weekend

Watch Frank Ocean perform at Coachella.

Following a lackluster performance at Coachella last weekend, out hip-hop artist Frank Ocean scrubbed a planned followup for the music festival's second weekend, according to Variety. A spokesperson for the festival said in a statement that Ocean is suffering "two fractures and a sprain in his left leg," and said that Ocean is withdrawing from the event on the advice of a doctor.

As previously reported, fans were puzzled at the low-energy performance Ocean delivered on April 16, during the festival's first weekend. Among other complaints, fans posted word that Ocean's set began after a delay of more than an hour and the plans to livestream the set had abruptly been scrapped.

Variety reported in an April 17 article that Ocean delivered some strong selections of songs that had been "dramatically rearranged," but added that "overall, the energy was low," and noted that Ocean "and the band were obscured by a battery of people walking in a circle around the stage." Moreover, Variety noted, "the pacing was bizarre: a seemingly random DJ set was dropped into the the middle, leading many fans to think his performance was over."

According to the Festive Owl Twitter account, "All of the people walking around him at the start of the performance were actually ice skaters, had been practicing for weeks, and were supposed to be skating as part of the production. Coachella had to deconstruct the approved stage (that had been planned and signed off on for months in advance) + melt the entire ice rink and then set it up how Frank decided today with no warning. Which is what you ended up seeing, and caused the hour-long delay."

The Festive Owl tweet added: "If the last minute changes weren't made he wouldn't have performed at all – leaving the festival without a closing headliner."

Billboard reported that "while Ocean has not personally detailed the extent of the injury or discussed the staging many described as awkward, former hockey players and Empty Netters podcast hosts Dan and Chris Powers were more than happy to spill the tea on what the puck happened on Tuesday's edition of their show."

The hosts described an enormous production that "required more than a month of rehearsals for the pair and dozens of other professional hockey and figure skaters."

Dan recounted that,"for about a month, we've been doing rehearsal, we've been hanging with Frank. We've been hanging with the other skaters. Hanging with these incredible figure skaters. Going through this whole process, it's this huge ordeal."

Chris noted that the production was intended to include 120 skaters, but that in the end only 30 were used – the people who were described as walking around Ocean and the band.

Other reports claimed that Ocean had been injured in a bike accident.

Ocean addressed the performance in the statement issued by the festival spokesperson, acknowledging, "It was chaotic."

However, Ocean found some optimistic things to say as well: "There is some beauty in chaos. It isn't what I intended to show but I did enjoy being out there and I'll see you soon."

Just not this weekend, when his slot will reportedly be filled in by Blink-182.