Nicki Minaj took the main stage on Sunday night at Coachella in support of frequent collaborator Ariana Grande. Unfortunately, Minaj couldn’t hear much of her two-song performance with the “thank u, next” star due to ongoing sound issues.
It created an especially awkward scene for Minaj, who seemed to lose audio in both ear pieces before hitting the stage for “Side to Side” and “Bang Bang.” Grande continued to sing and rally behind Minaj, who appeared at a loss for words.
The sound was also problematic for special guests Mase and P. Diddy, who came out to sing a rendition of “Mo Money Mo Problems” with Grande.
The Coachella Music and Arts Festival is set in the Palm Springs desert in Southern California where winds can wreak havoc on performers. Earlier in the night, newcomer Lizzo powered through horrific sound problems during her set.
Back in 2017, the audio was so bad for Radiohead, the U.K. group exited the stage twice after suffering major audio difficulties throughout their set.