Kanye West previously backed out of headlining Coachella, as the rapper was scheduled to headline two days—April 17th and 24th.
Since then, it was reported that The Weeknd is set to headline in place of West. However, The Weeknd and organizers of the festival have run into some issues, as the organizers allegedly tried to stiff the act out of money he asked to be paid. The Weeknd threatened to take himself out of the festival line-up if he wasn’t paid the same as Kanye West. West was set to walk away with $8 million plus a $500,000 production fee. Sources that spoke to Page Six said, “The Weeknd came in at short notice to take Kanye’s top spot. But Phil Anschutz [who owns the Coachella Festival through AEG Live] wanted to hold on to Kanye’s money and pay The Weeknd far less, just a few million. The festival would pocket the rest.”
The source said a deal wasn’t set up even after The Weeknd was announced, with the Weeknd threatening to “pull out at an hour’s notice if he didn’t get the same deal as Kanye.” The Weeknd was reportedly paid the money he asked after the festival’s organizers were faced with the possibility of a second headliner dropping out days before the show. Stay tuned for more updates.