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Frank Ocean's fans, including many from the LGBTQ community who admire his openness about his sexuality, were disappointed after YouTube announced there would be no livestream of the star's first performance in six years at Coachella. The 35-year-old star's livestream was pulled from the schedule, causing an uproar from fans.
The streaming platform tweeted, "Frank Ocean is not scheduled to appear on the Coachella livestream. The current schedule is in the description." Frank's set began at 10:05 p.m. PDT, but fans not attending the music festival in Indio, California, had no way of viewing the performance, having to rely on fan footage.
A clearly upset user commented, "Are you kidding me?" It was also speculated that the livestream might have been pulled as Frank might be debuting his entire new album live. Another user wrote, "What if Frank Ocean performs an entirely new album that drops tonight and all of our lives just drastically improve and the world heals."
Frank did end up giving the live debut of songs like "Florida," "Come On World, and "You Can't Go!" as well as new versions of "Chanel" and "White Ferrari." Earlier this year, Frank suggested he had a new album on the way.
Everybody is talking like, 'It's been so long, it's been so long,' but I have missed you," Ocean said to rapturous cheers earlier in his set.
Ocean started his performance nearly an hour late; he was forced to end his performance around 12:20 a.m. Monday.
"Guys, I'm being told it's a curfew, so that's the end of the show. Thank you so much," Ocean said abruptly after a song. (Coachella typically has a midnight curfew for its Sunday shows.)
The disjointed ending left many fans in disbelief, especially given the set was such a long time coming.
Ultimately, his performance wasn't enough for many fans left frustrated by the abrupt ending, with some booing and a few even crying as reality set in. Casual fans didn't even hear some of Ocean's biggest hits, such as "Thinkin' Bout You" and "Pyramids," because the show was cut short.
The "Nights" star had previously stated that he would release new music as one-off singles instead of album form, but he seemingly had a change of heart and teased a potential follow-up to 2016's "Blonde" on a poster for his merchandise. The print notes that a "fictitious recording artist" (seemingly Ocean) preferred "the singles distribution model as opposed to the long-form album model," as it was "more suited to modern consumption habits."
The biggest hint yet that another LP is on the way came with the admission that "The Recording Artist has since changed his mind about the singles model and is again interested in more durational bodies of work." The "Novacane" hitmaker wiped his Instagram page clear in September, suggesting new music was imminent.
Since "Blonde," fans have had a slew of singles, including "DHL," "In My Room," "Cayendo," and "Dear April." Frank also aired unreleased music on his "Blonded Radio" show. Frank hadn't performed since 2017's Flow Festival, and the headline slot at Coachella was delayed after the 2020 event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.