4xFAR Festival made its inaugural debut this past weekend (Saturday, Jan. 18 and Sunday, Jan. 19) at Empire Grand Oasis in Coachella Valley, CA, a posh desert venue which is comprised of 35 acres of land. The show featured everything from exquisite waterfalls to breathtaking scenes of palm groves to a serene lake and, of course, some big-name artists.
Anderson .Paak And The Free Nationals headlined on Saturday night while Mark Ronson B2B Q-Tip (& Friends) took the stage for the grand finale Sunday night. Other acts included Kaytranada, Young The Giant, Sofi Tukker, Kurt Vile, Chappaqua Wrestling, LP Giobbi and Mahalia, among others.
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Live music wasn’t the only action happening across the weekend. The two-day festival held by Land Rover consisted of a 15-acre off-road course and a plethora of activities, including rock climbing, mountain biking, yoga, axe-throwing, wine tasting and campsite mixology.
David Corso, CEO of Corso Agency and lead producer of 4xFAR Festival, talked to Billboard about the first-ever event and explained why Land Rover decided to delve into the music scene, even if that meant producing an entire weekend of festivities in a mere three to four months.
“Land Rover was determined to find a new platform to introduce a luxury adventure vehicle to a younger consumer.” The vehicle “is generally a big investment and mostly, for the super wealthy. With this younger consumer of today, it’s about lifestyle. So, the Defender was made for that consumer,” Corso explained. “They were like, ‘How do we touch that consumer?’ How do we put our vehicles in front of them?’ They searched around. Coachella is such the haven. It’s the festival capital. Coachella is the best-produced. They wanted to do a festival of some sort. They met with Coachella, and they pointed them to us.”
From there, Corso and his team assembled an experiential gathering, giving attendees the opportunity to try out new things that are otherwise not offered at other music festivals.
The music acts were still the primary focus throughout the weekend. Here are a few of the music highlights from 4xFAR Festival.
Sofi Tukker?
Sofi Tukker brought their exuberant energy, vibrant jams and colorful aesthetics to their set during a captivating sunset on Sunday. Always fun in nature, the set took a turn when a man from the audience, dressed in a yellow jumpsuit and stylish sunglasses, jumped onstage to show his groovy moves to the audience. The quirky moment was filled with such perfection that it wasn’t odd to ponder whether it was all staged. Tucker Halpern was quick to confirm that the moment wasn’t contrived whatsoever.
The duo dedicated their song “Best Friend” to the crowd and any respected dynamic duos in attendance. They also rounded out the night with one of their most popular singles to date, “Drinkee.”
Anderson .Paak and The Free Nationals
Anderson .Paak dressed his set with his picture-perfect smile, undeniable charisma and his funky moves. He thoroughly enjoys his music as much as the crowd enjoyed his set Saturday night under the stars. Dressed in what resembled a cheetah print sweat suit and his signature bucket hat, the soulful artist often went back and forth between playing the drums and hamming it up in front of the stage. The crowd enjoyed songs like “Am I Wrong” and “Tints.”
The talented artist also paid tribute to Mac Miller, displaying a photo of himself and the late rapper on a large screen behind him, as he performed their collaboration, “Dang!” The tribute comes after Miller’s final album Circles was released on Friday (Jan. 17), and coincided with would have been the rapper’s 28th birthday on Sunday.
Mark Ronson B2B Q-Tip (& Friends)
Mark Ronson concluded the weekend’s festivities with the help of his dear friend, Q-Tip. The two worked with each other to create seamless transitions between songs and played a variety of bangers from all genres. There was nothing off-limits throughout the approximately hour-and-a-half set.
It wouldn’t be a Ronson set without his famous hit “Uptown Funk” featuring Bruno Mars. The crowd ignited when they heard the first traces of the track, proving that the single still resonates years after its release. The producer and DJ’s performance was beyond versatile, playing everything including Robin S’ “You Got To Show Me Love,” Lykke Li’s “I Follow Rivers,” Silk City and Dua Lipa’s “Electricity,” Ginuwine’s “Pony,” Amy Winehouse’s “Valerie” and Drake’s “0 to 100/The Catch Up.”