James Moorhouse
The crowd at Coachella did little to dispel rumours that genuine music fans stay well away after a pretty embarrassing moment during Benson Boone's performance.
Coachella is renowned for its influencer audience, so it's perhaps no surprise that the cost of drinks are so high, with some likely only attending for their annual Instagram post.
Boone, 22, performed to a huge crowd at the Californian festival on Friday (11 April), which is pretty impressive given that he has only been releasing songs in the last few years or so.
While the US singer's got some catchy tunes and some even better acrobatic skills, it seems he has a better taste in music than most of his fans after he brought out legendary guitarist Brian May on stage.
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The 77-year-old is, of course, best known as one of the founders of Queen, and he showed no signs of his age as he rocked out to 'Bohemian Rhapsody' as Boone took on the role of Freddie Mercury.
However, the crowd had a rather lukewarm reaction when May was revealed, almost as if they thought it was just the guy from Top Gear instead.
While Boone thought that bringing out the Queen legend would give the audience somebody to love, it seemed as though many didn't even recognise the rocker. Alas, the show must go on.
To be fair to the 22-year-old, he called out his fans in a now viral TikTok video.
After singing and dancing with a banana in the video, the star wrote: “Me trying to get the crowd at Coachella to understand what an absolute legend Brian May is and the cultural impact he has on music and THE WORLD.”
Several fans, particularly in the UK where Queen made their name, felt rather let down by the audience's reaction. Many suggested that Boone would have been far better served bringing May out at a British festival where people get covered in mud to listen to the bands they love, like Glastonbury and Leeds.
One user commented: “Cannot believe the reaction Brian got. That must have been one serious slap in the face for him. Poor guy.”
Another said: “Brian May deserves a UK crowd. That whole performance would have sent a UK crowd wild!”
It wasn't the only thing at Coachella which caught attention, as Weezer's bassist Scott Shriner appeared in true professional style without mentioning the recent actions of his wife Jillian Lauren, while Green Day brought a whole new meaning to 'American Idiot' by changing the lyrics to diss Donald Trump.