Arcade Fire stopped their Coachella set within the first few seconds to call a medic for a festivalgoer
- Arcade Fire was added as a surprise addition to the Coachella 2022 lineup on Thursday.
- Within the first minute of the band's set at the Mojave stage, frontman Win Butler paused the show.
Within seconds of starting Arcade Fire's surprise Coachella 2022 set on Friday, frontman Win Butler halted the performance, which Insider attended.
"Medic, medic please," he called from the Mojave stage, looking down at someone in the pit. As the lights went up and he continued asking for medical assistance, the audience erupted into cheers.
After checking to make sure the festivalgoer was OK, he went back into performing the band's new song, "The Lightning I, II."
Later on, Butler expanded on the moment and festival safety.
"If you see someone out of their mind on drugs, find a fucking doctor," he told the large crowd, per NME.
Arcade Fire was a surprise addition to Coachella's lineup, which was announced by the festival on Thursday with the release of its set times. The hour-long concert included new songs from their upcoming sixth album, "WE," which will drop in May.
This isn't the first time an artist has stopped their own show to help someone in the crowd. Earlier this year, Billie Eilish, who will also headline Coachella on Saturday night, paused a concert in Atlanta after spotting a distressed fan who couldn't breathe.
As Insider previously reported, Eilish asked her crew to bring an inhaler to the audience member, and checked on her wellbeing multiple times before resuming her performance.
In December 2021, Variety reported that Travis Scott was removed from Coachella's lineup for this year, after 10 people died of compression asphyxia at his Astroworld Festival in November — which police declared a "mass casualty" event about 30 minutes before it ended.
Scott has received heavy criticism for failing to pause his performance or check on fans who needed medical attention.
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