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.
\u201cAnd that's a wrap! \ud83c\udf86\ud83c\udf08 #ARICHELLA\u201d— Ariana Grande Today (@Ariana Grande Today) 1555313403
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."
\u201cAriana Grande covered Frank Ocean\u2019s Close To You and I\u2019m in tears y\u2019all. TEARS.\u201d— eliel \ud83c\udf0a\ud83c\udfd6\u2600\ufe0f (@eliel \ud83c\udf0a\ud83c\udfd6\u2600\ufe0f) 1555311598
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.
None— Sister Unity (@Sister Unity) 1555349850
None— \u2764\ufe0f\u200d\ud83d\udd25 (@\u2764\ufe0f\u200d\ud83d\udd25) 1555313547
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!
