Coachella

Yodeling kid Mason Ramsey just did the unimaginable ... he went from playing the Walmart aisle to performing for thousands -- including Justin Bieber -- at Coachella in less than a month.

Mason crushed his first Coachella as a spectator and a performer Friday afternoon, taking the Sahara stage right before up-and-coming DJ Whethan's set. It was only about 2:45 PM, and that's pretty early for the huge turn-out Mason got since most people don't file into the fest until the desert heat starts dying down.

One person who made it in time ... the Biebs, who, judging by the smile on his face, is clearly a fan.

Mason, who's only 11, didn't skip a note of Hank Williams' "Lovesick Blues," and at the end took what could be the cutest bow ever.

One word for you Mason: ENCORE! You got the Biebs fired up!

It looks like Kylie Jenner found a babysitter for the weekend, because she arrived with sis Kourtney Kardashian for the kickoff of Coachella ... and Travis Scott's there, too.

Kylie and Kourtney were spotted entering the festival grounds Friday with Kylie's friend, Jordyn Woods, and Kourtney's bf, Younes Bendjima, in tow. We're told they were headed to pick up their VIP passes.

Travis was also seen with Kylie at the group's van with a team of bodyguards as they showed up at Coachella. As we reported ... he and Kylie had a baby girl named Stormi in February.

The 3 ladies shared a shot of themselves hopping on a private jet earlier Friday to head to the festival.

Drake's dad is getting a sick new OVO pendant, just in time for Coachella, but it could've been swiped at LAX.

We got celeb jeweler Boodaddy Diamonds after he landed at the airport, and he immediately gave Migos serious props for their jewelry game ... which they'll definitely be rocking this weekend at the music fest.

Boo told us he'll be backstage with several artists, and revealed the special piece he was delivering to Dennis Graham. The pendant is blanketed in diamonds, and pretty stunning. Even more stunning? BD stepped away from it in the middle of the airport!!

Someone had his back, though and in the end, Dennis got his jewelry ... which he bragged on last night.

SZA's stoked to take the stage with Cardi B at Coachella ... IF that's the plan, but she's not even trying to hide her excitement over the possibility.

The red-hot singer was leaving Nas' restaurant, Sweet Chick, Thursday in L.A. when she told us it would be an honor to perform with Cardi at the festival, but she can't give away secrets.

It would totally make sense ... SZA's featured on Cardi's new album, "Invasion of Privacy," on the track "I Do" -- and they're both already on the Coachella lineup. Somebody's gotta make it happen!

We also asked her about Cardi's brewing beef with Nicki Minaj over their "Motorsport" collab.

If ya missed it ... Cardi insinuated Nicki tried to one-up her, and Nicki claims Cardi and Migos bullied her into making changes to her verses.

The kid who went viral for yodeling at a Walmart is about to take his act to the desert and, if the stars align, he'll be performing at Coachella with Post Malone ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to 11-year-old Mason Ramsey from Golconda, Illinois tell us ... he's set to share the stage with some of music's hottest acts, starting at 2:45 PM Friday with Whethan, an up-and-coming DJ. Funny story -- Whethan actually tweeted about Mason after he went viral.

We're told several other artists have reached out -- including Posty -- wanting to feature Mason's yodeling magic during their Coachella set, but thanks to Ellen DeGeneres ... he's already booked at the Grand Ole Opry for Saturday ... which is when the rapper's scheduled.

Our sources say his team is still trying to make it happen with Post Malone, though ... it will just have to wait until weekend #2 of the festival.

Mason's popularity has soared since a vid of him yodeling Hank Williams' "Lovesick Blues" at a Harrisburg, IL Walmart blew up. It's led to an appearance on 'Ellen', a follow-up concert at the Walmart and a 69-year-old song being back at the top of the charts.

And it looks like Yodeling Kid's just getting started. Mason posted Friday, "Can't wait to see California again! Hope y'all are ready cause we're bringing the country to @coachella."

Coachella is a death trap for people trying to go to and from their campsites, and a woman was killed because of the festival's negligence ... according to a new suit.

The parents of Micha'la Josephine Freeland are suing Coachella for her wrongful death, claiming their daughter was struck by a Jeep Cherokee while she was crossing Avenue 52 -- an unpaved, dirt road -- on her way back to her camp because the festival failed to provide temporary pedestrian barricades, fences, lighting, warning signs and other safety provisions.

According to the docs ... Freeland was a Coachella security employee, but was not assigned to work on April 15, 2016, so she planned to hang with her family at the Ave 52 campsite. That night around 8:15 PM, she was hit by the vehicle while crossing Avenue 52 and later died at the hospital from her injuries.

Freeland's parents claim Coachella knew security personnel and their families would be traveling from the festival to the campsite on that road ... but failed to properly protect them.

A Beyhive of dancers is about to descend upon Coachella next week -- the number has swelled from about a dozen to 100 ... TMZ has learned.

Sources tell us Beyonce has upped her game for her Coachella performance next weekend. Bey made the decision for a ten-fold increase just this week.

Our sources also say Bey has moved her rehearsals to a much larger studio. And, of course, all the new hires have signed non-disclosure agreements.

From what we're hearing, Beyonce feels the pressure for some shock and awe ... especially after canceling her festival gig last year due to her pregnancy. We're told her stage at Coachella will have all the fixings of an epic performance -- lights, visuals ... the works.

We broke the story ... Beyonce has been putting in 11-hour days rehearsing for the festival, with at least 7 security guards roaming the grounds to ensure a top-secret environment.

At this point, we're told not even her own execs at her record company know what's going on behind closed doors. So, if it's anticipation she's going for ... she's for sure got it.

Beyonce's on a mission to make up for lost time -- ramping up her Coachella rehearsals to ensure her performance is one for the ages after missing out last year ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to Queen B tell us ... she started getting serious about practicing for her show Tuesday, scheduling 11-hour days in a high-profile L.A. studio that's been booked solely for her and her dancers, choreographers, technicians and other members of her crew.

We're told there are 7 security guards patrolling the studio inside and out to keep the rehearsals top secret ... no unwanted guests or recordings.

Our sources say Bey began planning for this gig as far back as last year, of course ... when she was slated to headline the 2017 festival before she had to back out due to her pregnancy with twins.

She clearly wants to make sure everyone gets their money's worth this time around.

We broke the story ... another huge act, Cardi B, is pregnant and on the Coachella lineup this year, but she says she's not going to let it stop her from taking the stage.

Law enforcement at Coachella is bracing for the possibility of a Vegas-like massacre, and it's taking radical steps to make sure it thwarts any plot and protects concertgoers.

If, God forbid, something does happen, first responders will be ready with tourniquets and other medical equipment to prevent massive blood loss.

There will also be intensive surveillance, especially with drones that will blanket the festival grounds ... eyeing people and packages that look ominous. Although law enforcement tells TMZ there are no known threats, it is out of an abundance of caution.

Cops and security are taking training courses on identifying items that are out of place ... in particular they will learn the lay of the land -- where items such as trash cans are placed -- and if a new one suddenly appears, cops will take appropriate steps to immediately investigate.

There will also be tried-and-true forms of security, such as metal detectors and pat-downs. And the mantra of the festival is what has become the mantra everywhere ... "See something, say something."

Coachella takes place over the span of two weekends next month and features artists like The Weeknd, Beyonce, Eminem, Cardi B, Migos, SZA and Kygo.

The Weeknd whipped a small California town into a frenzy when he shut down streets to shoot a music vid, which turns out ... should be out right before Coachella.

Production sources tell TMZ ... the singer took over tiny Taft, California -- about 120 miles northwest of L.A. -- last week to film the vid for his new single. It looks like it will feature Abel riding on some sort of hoverboard ... which is pretty badass.

We're guessing the new track will be released next month before The Weeknd takes the stage at Coachella, where he's headlining the Friday night shows.

The new song will be his first solo joint since he released his "Starboy" album in 2016.

And when he sings it ... the Taft folk can tell their story.

Coachella 2018 falls on 4/20, but those hoping to score and smoke weed openly in Indio are outta luck, despite California legalizing it.

The city of Indio, where Coachella takes place, is cracking down on marijuana use. The city isn't allowing the selling, cultivating or distributing of cannabis. Under the new law, each town can decide whether to allow recreational weed sales, and -- sorry to harsh your Queen Bey buzz -- Indio's decided it's a no.

Coachella isn't allowing marijuana or marijuana products on the festival site either.

The city of Indio still has to abide by state law which now allows you to possess a small amount of bud for personal use, but you can't smoke it out in the open.

One glimmer of hope -- neighboring cities like Palm Springs, Cathedral City and Desert Hot Springs are all weed-friendly, so if you're over 21 you can hit up a licensed dispensary there.

Pregame!

No doubt Beyoncé has some surprises up her sleeve for Coachella, but Destiny's Child ain't one of 'em ... TMZ has learned.

Sources directly connected to Beyoncé tell us she is NOT planning to bring Michelle Williams, Kelly Rowland, LaTavia Roberson and LeToya Luckett up on stage with her next year in the desert. The Beyhive's been getting fans worked up, claiming there are clues all over social media.

We're told Bey's dedicated fans are simply seeing what they want to see -- but the fact is there is NO DC reunion in the works for Coachella.

Say their names all ya want ... it ain't happening.

Metallica vs. Napster, Slash vs. Axl, Pearl Jam vs. Ticketmaster ... and now there's Twenty One Pilots vs Coachella after the rap rock duo blasted the desert festival over the weekend onstage in front of thousands.

The band was headlining Firefly Music Festival in Dover, Delaware Friday night when frontman Tyler Joseph gave Coachella a scathing review: "It's not that we don't like Coachella, it's just that we can't stand it."

It's unclear if Tyler was just pumping up the crowd, but Coachella gets a bad rep for being an overcrowded cash cow where people care more about their outfits than the music onstage. Twenty One Pilots has never played the festival, but interestingly enough, both Coachella and Firefly are produced by promoter Goldenvoice. So, if anything, it seems the diss was aimed at the type of crowd Coachella draws.

If you've ever wondered how Coachella headliners crash during the festival, Lady Gaga's $12 million Mediterranean desert rental gives you a good idea -- they crash just fine.

Gaga, who took over Beyonce's headlining slot, lived it up in a 7 bedroom 5 bath home in Rancho Mirage courtesy of Airbnb during the fest's back-to-back weekends. The place is huge ... 9,500 square feet! Kinda like having a full resort just for yourself.

Along with a pool and spa, the crib had a fitness room, 2 formal living rooms, an outdoor dining gazebo and 3 fire pits -- it gets cold in the desert at night.

If you thought $900 for a VIP ticket to the fest was stiff, Gaga's pad would set the average person back $10k per night!

Kendrick Lamar's crash pad at Coachella's fit for a king ... dude balled out at an INSANE villa for his must-see performance out in the desert.

The "HUMBLE." rapper made himself at home at the Big Sioux Estate -- a spectacular 6 bedroom, 7.5 bathroom villa with a pretty steep price tag ... 10 million bucks. Any Joe Schmoe's looking at about $1,880 per night to stay there, but Kendrick got the pad courtesy of Airbnb.