Mistaken for hologram, still got paid
INDIO, CA – What festival-goers thought was cutting-edge holographic technology at last weekend’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival was actually an extraterrestrial being who crash-landed during headliner Bad Bunny’s set, according to multiple eyewitnesses and leaked festival production documents obtained exclusively by Weekly World News.
The otherworldly performer, dubbed “Zyx-9” by sources close to the production, reportedly descended from the sky in a damaged spacecraft that festival organizers quickly disguised as a “surprise interactive art installation.” The alien, standing approximately seven feet tall with iridescent blue skin and three arms, was immediately incorporated into the evening’s lineup after confused production staff assumed it was part of an unannounced holographic surprise.
“I knew something was off when I saw this glowing figure stumble out of what looked like a crashed UFO,” said Madison Torres, 23, a UC Berkeley student who was positioned near the main stage. “But then the backup dancers started incorporating it into their routine, and everyone just went with it. The crowd went absolutely wild – they thought it was some next-level Tupac hologram situation.”
Festival insiders reveal that Coachella’s notorious secrecy around surprise performances worked in the alien’s favor. When Zyx-9 began communicating through a series of melodic clicks and whistles that somehow harmonized perfectly with Bad Bunny’s reggaeton beats, stage managers assumed it was part of an elaborate collaboration months in the planning.
The extraterrestrial’s natural bioluminescence created stunning visual effects that had the crowd mesmerized, with many posting videos to social media praising Coachella’s “revolutionary use of AI and holographic technology.” What they didn’t realize was that Zyx-9 was desperately trying to signal for help from its home planet of Kepler-442b, located approximately 1,200 light-years from Earth.
Dr. Melvin Cryptocurrency, a xenolinguistics expert at the Underground Truth Institute, analyzed footage of the performance and confirmed the alien’s distress signals. “What concertgoers interpreted as artistic expression were actually sophisticated mathematical equations describing the alien’s damaged propulsion system,” Cryptocurrency explained. “The being was literally broadcasting its coordinates and technical specifications to any nearby spacecraft while simultaneously becoming TikTok famous.”
Perhaps most shocking of all is the revelation that festival organizers, upon learning of the mix-up the following morning, decided to pay Zyx-9 the standard rate for surprise guest performers rather than risk negative publicity. Sources within Goldenvoice, Coachella’s parent company, confirm that the alien was issued a check for $75,000 – the same amount typically paid to holographic representations of deceased artists.
The alien has reportedly been staying at a luxury Airbnb in Palm Springs while awaiting rescue, using the performance fee to cover expenses. Local restaurant owners in the desert community have noticed an unusual customer ordering exclusively blue-colored foods and paying with crisp hundred-dollar bills.
Government agencies remain tight-lipped about the incident, but leaked emails from a Department of Defense contractor suggest that military officials are more concerned about the alien’s social media presence than any potential threat. Zyx-9’s Instagram account, @RealAlienVibes, has already amassed over 2.3 million followers, with fans eagerly awaiting announcements about future festival appearances.
Industry insiders speculate that other major music festivals are now actively recruiting extraterrestrial performers, with Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza reportedly sending scouts to known UFO hotspots. The success of Zyx-9’s accidental debut has opened an entirely new revenue stream that festival organizers are calling “cosmic booking.”
As of press time, the alien’s rescue ship had not yet arrived, leading to speculation that Zyx-9 may be deliberately extending its stay on Earth to capitalize on its newfound fame in the lucrative festival circuit.
The characters and events depicted in this story are entirely fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, or to actual events is unintentional and purely coincidental.
