Pop's reigning princess (and possibly bisexual songstress) Ariana Grande ended her Coachella set the gayest way possible—with a giant projection of a rainbow flag.
And that's a wrap! #ARICHELLA pic.twitter.com/C8GaHa5VyJ
— Ariana Grande Today (@ArianaToday) April 15, 2019
The "thank u, next" singer rocked the Coachella mainstage last night with her discography of hits and special guests including Nicki Minaj, Diddy, Mase, and NSYNC (minus Justin Timberlake. More like OUTOFSYNC am I right, ladies?!).
During her set, Grande covered Frank Ocean's blond track, "Close To You."
Ariana Grande covered Frank Ocean’s Close To You and I’m in tears y’all. TEARS. pic.twitter.com/AKAXAYTo9I
— yee (and i cant stress this enough) HAW (@eliellopez14) April 15, 2019
And of course, she ended the show with a "Bang Bang." As Grande walked off the stage, fireworks erupted from the stage and the entire stage proudly shined with the rainbow pride flag.
ARIANA REALLY DECIDED TO SAY THE BIGGEST FUCK YOU TO COACHELLA OWNER WHO IS A FUCKING HOMOPHOBE AND DISPLAYED THIS HUGE ASS PRIDE FLAG AT THE END OF HER PERFORMANCE NOTHING BUT RESPECT FOR THIS QUEER QUEEN #Arichella pic.twitter.com/us0KepiEUI
— yara (@xbasicunicorn) April 15, 2019
Ariana Grande embraces the LGBT community at #Coachella despite the CEO of the festival being anti-LGBT. pic.twitter.com/G9aDCnB29M
— Music News Facts (@musicnewsfact) April 15, 2019
Many fans believe the spectacle was a dig at the music festival's owner, Philip Anschutz, who has faced scrutiny for donations to anti-LGBTQ+ organizations and Republican politicians. Coachella boycotts have been called for the festival and while that's certainly an option for the general public, it might not be as easy for artists. Out reports that Anschutz owns AEG, which includes hundreds of music venues around the country and is the second most used ticketing service under Ticketmaster. Anschutz also owns dozens of other festivals, sports teams, and even the company that has produced The Grammys for the last 39 years.
Considering the massive amount of influence Anschutz has in the music industry, an artist's public provocation of him or Coachella could potentially endanger their career.
Which makes Grande's gesture of solidarity all the more important!
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