Kyle Watson Makes His Coachella Debut and Caps Out the Yuma Tent
Coachella is the pinnacle of festival culture for fans and artists alike. To play at such an event is an honor. This year, tastemaker Kyle Watson performed not one weekend but two in the Yuma tent, which boasts sets by the most relevant names within house and techno.
“The production is ridiculous,” he says of the tent. “The artists that you’re playing around…of course, it’s world-class.”
Kyle Watson at Coachella 2023, weekend 1
Brian Ngo
Over the last several years, Watson’s music has stood tall as a shining example of how one can push house music to its absolute limit. And after successful tours in The States, there was no doubt he could hold his own with the high-level talent Yuma is known for. When he got the call to play, he was elated, yet unsure how many people would be there for his early 2 pm Friday timeslot.
Kyle Watson at Coachella 2023, weekend 1
Brian Ngo
He says he tried to gauge how many people would attend based on pictures and video from previous years—it could be packed or bring as little as 150 festival goers. He B-lined to the stage before the festival opened and taking in its immense size, was worried how it would ever look full so early in the day. He returned ten minutes before he hit the decks while Chris Stussy played to around 4,000 people, making him believe it would be an “insane” performance. Even more attendees packed in while he spun, capping the tent at 6,000 people.
“I finished my set,” he tells Gray Area, “and my manager came up to me, and he was like, ‘Dude, they closed the doors. They had to close the doors!’ I was like, ‘This is ridiculous.’ I mean, I mean knew it was going to be good; I didn’t think I was going to be that good. It was incredible. What an experience, and to do it twice and have the same result was just mind-blowing.”
Kyle Watson at Coachella 2023, weekend 1
Brian Ngo
Watson was initially booked to play at the famous festival in 2020, but the rug was pulled out from underneath him, like many producers, due to COVID. He was finally able to grace the stage in 2022, allowing him to showcase his music to thousands of attendees, resulting in a massive bump in streams on his music. This, though, was a nerve-wracking experience for him.
Kyle Watson at Coachella 2023, weekend 1
Brian Ngo
“Before you go on, you’ve obviously got a little bit of nerves,” he says. “So it’s hard to take in the fact that this is happening. ... But [there was] one point in the middle of the set where I just took a pause. I just looked out at everyone. I was like, ‘Damn, I actually cannot believe that I’m playing a set right now at this festival and there’s this many people in front of me.’ That’s absolutely mind-blowing and an amazing opportunity. It’s such a big box to tick for me.”
