Five favorite moments from Coachella weekend 2

The dust has settled on another year of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. Somewhere between the earsplitting speakers at Shamir’s midnight set, the crushing crowd at Calvin Harris and the furious whip of dusty wind, it felt like we weren’t going to survive the weekend. But here we are with achy feet, dirt in our lungs and plenty of stories to tell from three days on the Empire Polo grounds.

Here are a few of our favorite moments from the weekend:

Prince tributes galore. The buzz going into the second and final weekend of Coachella was how the event’s organizers and artists would pay tribute to the music legend, who died a day before the festival reopened its gates. And the Purple One was everywhere this weekend. The dozens of palm trees that frame the fields were lighted purple in his honor and LCD Soundsystem, Ellie Goulding, Mavis Staples, Joey Badass, Gallant, Jhene Aiko and Usher performed tributes.

Major Lazer making us sweat. Who would have guessed a set of DJs would have been the ones to make us feel like we had transported out of the desert? On Sunday evening Diplo, Jillonaire and Walshy Fire did that with their infectious blend of EDM along with African and dancehall rhythms. Their set was a dizzying, nonstop dance fest and when we weren’t imagining we were in the back of a club in Rihanna’s native Barbados (they brilliantly blended in her current dancehall hit “Work” with Missy Elliott) we pretended we were in the army of dancers onstage. Adding to the feverish dancing? An exhilarating tribute to Prince with Usher handling “I Would Die 4 U.”

Special guests. Yes, the expectations of artists to trot out guests during both weekends of the festival have reached an all-time high this year. But seeing artists collaborate onstage is always a treat, even if it’s just to break social media or top someone else on the bill. “I know it’s all about who you bring out,” Anderson .Paak jokingly told the crowd before a drop-in from Kendrick Lamar (the pair performed Lamar’s “Backseat Freestyle”). Lamar also appeared with SZA and Ice Cube the night before. Cube also, finally, got Dr. Dre to perform alongside the surviving members of N.W.A — the first time they performed together in nearly 30 years. Other guests this weekend: Big Sean, Jhene Aiko, Usher, Akon, Lil Wayne, Miguel, Game, Big Grams, Travis Barker and Tyler the Creator.

Anderson .Paak owning the night. The singer, rapper and drummer is in the midst of a sensational breakout with his album “Malibu,” following the hype of getting a major co-sign from Dr. Dre. Whatever expectations were on the line on Sunday, Anderson transcended them with a scorching set that moved through the trap-inflected electro that first made him a cult hit in L.A. to hip-hop and vintage soul and funk — most of which he did while pounding on the drums. He even ceded some stage time to Dre, who signed him to his Aftermath imprint. Dre, at Anderson’s request, did a medley of his hits “Next Episode,” “Still D.R.E.” and “California Love.”

Sidestage action. For those not entirely sated by the headliners, the curation of mid-tier acts offered enough for everyone. Mavis Staples was a fiery highlight on Day 1 with a set of soulful gospel that attracted a massive crowd despite the early afternoon start time and blistering heat. Rising alternative-R&B singer Gallant was magnetic and if the sound wasn’t so harsh more people would have been able to brave Shamir’s midnight set. The Sahara tent got a great deal of our attention this weekend as hip-hop acts were programmed alongside dance DJs. It was a smart move, the tent was packed continuously throughout the weekend. Some of the rap highlights? DJ Mustard spooling his lengthy array of radio hits, Rae Sremmurd’s bouncy set of innocuous club raps and G-Eazy’s energetic set.

gerrick.kennedy@latimes.com

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