The singer overcame a series of early hitches that looked like they might derail the set before it had got going.
He had to restart his first song three times and his second song once.
He's already cancelled a series of shows this year. Here, he relaxed after the stuttering start - although the downbeat performance split opinion.
Devotees loved the rare opportunity to connect with an idol whose unpredictability and vulnerability only makes him more precious.
But lots of fans drifted away during the set, especially during a disjointed and meandering first half.
He started half an hour late, which heightened the suspense about whether or not he would appear at all following his recent spate of cancellations.
He has scrapped festival appearances at Primavera in Spain, Hangout in Alabama and Sasquatch in Washington due to "production delays".
But he returned to the stage at Northside in Denmark on Friday and then in Manchester two days later.
He started the Parklife set with Solo, from last year's Blonde album, but stopped the song three times, at one point complaining about the chunky headphones he wore throughout the show.
After eventually making it to the end of that song, he moved into Chanel - but restarted that too despite having virtually made it to the end.
Things got a bit easier after that, and he ended up performing for one hour 15 minutes.
Frank Ocean, one of pop music's biggest enigmas, has played his first UK gig in three years as Sunday's headliner at the Parklife festival in Manchester.