Why Kanye West pulled out of Coachella 2019

Ariana Grande fans were ecstatic to see their idol announced as a Coachella headliner - but it turns out the star was a last-minute replacement for Kanye West.

The rapper pulled out of both Coachella and New York festival the Governor's Ball when they failed to meet his characteristically outlandish demands.

Just two days before Coachella co-founder Paul Tollett was set to announce Kanye West as one of the headliners, West asked Tollett if he could construct a giant, custom-built dome in the middle of the festival grounds especially for him - rather than have the rapper perform on the main stage.

According to Billboard, West said the stage - one of the largest in North America and which has hosted the likes of Beyonce's extravaganza last year - was not big enough for him.

However with only four months to build the dome, which would require the entire festival site to be rearranged, including removing a large section of portable toilets, the festival declined.

When organisers told him this, Billboard reports West reportedly became irritated, ranting about his creative vision and how he shouldn't have to waste time talking about toilets.

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It was no doubt a major blow for Tollett and the Coachella team, but nevertheless they got on the phone with Scooter Braun and within 24 hours, had secured Ariana Grande as West's replacement for the final night.

This comes after Australian rock band Tame Impala was also bumped up to the top headliner slot for Day 2 - replacing Justin Timberlake who had to reschedule tour dates due to bruised vocal cords.

The two weekend festival takes place in April.

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is reproduced here with permission.