Frank Ocean dropping out of Coachella cost the festival millions

Earlier this week Frank Ocean pulled out of his second weekend headlining duties at the annual Coachella Valley Music Festival. The artist claims to have suffered an ankle injury prior to his first-weekend show that is significant enough for him to cancel his performance.

However, his decision to cancel his second of two shows won’t be without cost. The ‘Ivy’ singer will likely cost the festival millions of dollars in last-minute changes according to Billboard.

The Coachella fallout

According to the source for Billboard, the company’s major concern lies in finding a new use for the giant ice pad that they created for Ocean’s long-awaited performance. Ocean’s stage was transformed into a hockey rink, which required more than a month of rehearsals for professional hockey players and figure skaters.

According to sources, the set required 120 skaters, however, the actual Coachella show only featured 30 people. Professional skaters also described being upset after getting last-minute news they were cut from the final show after dealing with repeated rescheduling issues.

The skaters weren’t the only ones disappointed about the Coachella performance, as many fans expressed their letdown with Ocean after he started his set an hour late and cut the performance short to comply with the festival’s sound curfew.

International fans were also disappointed that the live stream of the event was canceled suddenly only a few hours before the performance. Several other fans complained that the singer was lip-syncing poorly and had long and awkward silent pauses between tracks.

How much money will Frank Ocean cost Coachella?

Ocean was reportedly set to be paid eight million for his two Coachella performances. According to Billboard, he will now receive only half of that payment, totaling at four million dollars.

However, Coachella still needs to pay for Ocean’s replacement act Blink-182, who are reportedly being paid four million dollars. Although that breaks even, Coachella is also reportedly paying an undisclosed fee to Skrillex, Four Tet, and Fred in order to have them serve as the closing act for the final weekend of the festival.

It’s reported that Coachella will likely be shelling out anywhere from $8 to $16 million to replace Ocean as the opening act. It’s unclear if this cost has strained Ocean’s relationship with the festival and if he will be invited back for future performances.