No Doubt got back together Saturday night at the Coachella Festival. It was their first big show since 2015. They gave it their all on stage. Gwen Stefani, the lead singer, seemed excited. She talked to the crowd a lot, even jokingly saying she wanted to “slap” everyone, but lovingly, I guess. They even brought out Olivia Rodrigo, a famous artist from Southern California. She’s a lot younger than No Doubt’s heyday, but who cares, right?
During their set, Gwen Stefani shouted out, “I didn’t think this was going to happen, did you?” in the middle of their first song, “Hella Good.” It’s been 12 years since they made their last album together, “Push and Shove,” and they last performed as a band in 2015. Stefani mentioned this a lot during the Coachella show. Since then, she’s been on TV as a judge on “The Voice” and released a few singles. She wants people to remember she’s still a singer, even though she’s not as big as she used to be when she was the face of No Doubt and a solo artist in the 2000s.
No Doubt’s reunion at Coachella was like a big hug to their fans, showing that they still got it after more than 30 years in the music biz. Stefani, Kanal, Dumont, and Young rocked the stage for 80 minutes straight, full of energy like they were back in their teens.
Some might have thought No Doubt would just be a trip down memory lane, like seeing other old-time acts at the festival. But they proved everyone wrong. Despite being in their mid-50s, they still had that spark that made them famous.
Stefani, especially, shone as the lead singer. She was flawless, dancing and engaging the crowd effortlessly. But it wasn’t just her – the whole band clicked together perfectly, making every song feel fresh, whether it was an old favorite like “Total Hate ’95” or the fiery opener “Hella Good.”
The band started in Anaheim, California, in 1986. They loved the ska style, including dance moves, horns, and clothes. They wore lots of plaid on stage. Gwen Stefani wore black and red boots, and Young wore a kilt. They played popular songs like “Ex-Girlfriend,” “It’s My Life,” “Hey Baby,” and “Don’t Speak.” They also played some less-known songs like “Different People” and “Happy Now?” Strangely, they didn’t play any songs from their album “Push and Shove.”
Gwen Stefani was surprised that many people came to see them. Many young people at the festival probably knew No Doubt from their parents. But the band still felt new and cool. Even when Olivia Rodrigo sang with them during “Bathwater,” it wasn’t to win over the crowd; everyone was already excited.
No Doubt was having fun, and it didn’t feel like work. Gwen Stefani even did 10 push-ups before singing “Just a Girl.” She felt like the moment was unreal. She thought it was a special time to be with the audience. She wanted to perform the next song with No Doubt because she thought it was more relevant now than ever.
No Doubt hasn’t been very relevant for a while, but their Coachella show felt like a big comeback. People think they might go on a huge tour soon. The loud cheers and crowd involvement suggest that they still have a lot to offer in the future.
Here’s the full setlist from No Doubt’s Coachella 2024 Weekend 1 performance:
- “Hella Good”
- “Sunday Morning”
- “Ex-Girlfriend”
- “It’s My Life”
- “Different People”
- “Hey Baby”
- “Total Hate ’95”
- “Bathwater” (featuring Olivia Rodrigo)
- “One Step Beyond” (horns-only interlude, cover of Madness song)
- “Simple Kind of Life”
- “Underneath It All”
- “Happy Now?”
- “New”
- “Just a Girl”
- “Don’t Speak”
- “Spiderwebs”