After spending most Sundays of 2019 reworking old material and trying out new cuts with a gospel choir in California, Kanye West brought his Sunday Service to Coachella today (April 21). Festival-goers gathered at 9am PST for the session, which fell on Easter Sunday, ahead of day three of the Indio fest kicking off. Here’s what went down at the spiritual gathering.
You could take home some Sunday Service merch
Unlike your average church service, attendees were able to take home a souvenir from the event in the form of a piece of merch. Fans queued up to buy the pieces, which included socks emblazoned with the phrases “Jesus walks” and “Church socks”, or t-shirts and sweatshirts that said “Trust God” or “Holy spirit” on the front and “Sunday Service at The Mountain” on the back.
#SUNDAYSERVICE X #KANYEWEST X #COACHELLA MERCH ??? pic.twitter.com/NCAQjegj1E
— saint (@chrstphr_) April 21, 2019
Kanye debuted a brand new song
The rapper might have stayed off mic for the majority of the set, but when he was on it he made it count. Namely, by debuting a brand new track called ‘Water’, which featured the lines “We are water” and “Take the chlorine out of conversation.”
https://twitter.com/GlobalDanceElec/status/1120031802805014528
Teyana Taylor turned up
The G.O.O.D. Music signee took the lead towards the end of the Sunday Service. Standing above the band and choir, she delivered a beautiful version of her track ‘Never Would Have Made It’ before the musicians segued into ‘Follow Me’ and she rescinded her place.
Yasss @TEYANATAYLOR !!!! Saaaaang Queen!!! @kanyewest #coachella ✨??✨ #kanyewest #Kanyesundayservice #sundayservice #teyanataylor pic.twitter.com/mJkYQlWb2c
— NIÉNA DRAKE (@NIENADRAKE) April 21, 2019
Chance The Rapper and DMX also contributed
Chance was seen bopping along next to Kanye for a lot of the set, but took his minute in the spotlight when strains of ‘Ultralight Beam’ filled the valley for a second time this morning. DMX, meanwhile, joined the group present in prayer – fitting for the mood of the session.
コーチェラの山に降り立った説教師、DMX…?? #SundayService #ultralightbeam pic.twitter.com/mrqrRL9s7z
— Shiho Watanabe Kurokawa (@shiho_wk) April 21, 2019
The choir mingled with the crowd
As well as performing from the top of “The Mountain” – basically a mound at the top of a hill – the gospel choir also mingled with the crowd. Dressed in the same pink uniform, they sang and danced between those who had come to watch the gathering unfold.
The rest of the setlist was a mix of Kanye originals and covers
The setlist drew from all areas of West’s catalogue, including tracks that haven’t been released yet. ‘Stormy Night’ and ‘We Have Everything We Need’ came late in the performance, both of which could be on the rapper’s next album, ‘Yandhi’. Elsewhere, the band and choir reinterpreted the likes of ‘Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1’, ‘Power’, ‘Fade’, and more, as well as covers by the likes of Soul II Soul, Stevie Wonder, and Kool & The Gang.
The full setlist was as follows:
‘Summer Madness’
‘Do I Do’
‘Outstanding’
‘Ultralight Beam’ (partial)
‘Oh Lord, How Excellent’
‘Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1’
‘Power’
‘Lift Him Up’
‘Ha Ya’
‘Otis’
‘As’
‘Back To Life’
‘Stormy Night’
‘We Have Everything We Need’
‘Never Would Have Made It’
‘Follow Me’
‘Fade’
‘Brighter Days’
‘This Is The Day’
‘Lift Yourself’
‘All Falls Down’
‘Ultralight Beam’
‘Jesus Walks’