Is a young person’s inability to recognize Queen’s guitarist, Brian May at Coachella, the cardinal music sin many believe it to be?
This year’s Coachella kicked off over two April weekends in Indio, California, drawing an estimated 125,000 attendees. It featured performances from prominent bands and artists like Green Day, Lady Gaga, and Post Malone, as well as recent sensations like Benson Boone. The “Beautiful Things” singer’s live cover of Queen‘s “Bohemian Rhapsody” sparked online discussions when the legendary British band’s very own lead guitarist, Brian May, made a surprise appearance onstage—to the tune of what many comment threads, and even Boone himself, considered insultingly lackluster enthusiasm.
The 77-year-old guitarist’s Coachella involvement marked a tearful moment for many Queen fans but received such a lukewarm live reception that Boone later uploaded a TikTok about “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”. In the clip, Boone clutches a microphone banana and motions that he can’t hear the crowd’s applause, eventually throwing up his hands, and the banana, in defeat.
The crowd’s response to May reflected a broader issue at this year’s Coachella, which has been worsening: surprisingly low energy and enthusiasm. Online observers and in-person participants criticized attendees’ apparent apathy, making the problem seem too widespread for mere coincidence.
However, before denouncing modern music culture entirely, it’s only fair to consider external factors that might have influenced (or misrepresented) the Coachella crowds’ behavior. It’s also fair to ask this perhaps unpopular question regarding Brian May: Is a young person unable to recognize the guitarist of a classic rock band the cardinal music sin, many believe it to be?
Coachella attendees had their work cut out for them this year. An arduous entry process forced many car campers to endure 12-plus hours in their vehicles in the desert heat before acquiring their camping spots. These conditions undoubtedly inflicted dehydration, exhaustion, and possible heat stress on campers, to say nothing of limited bathroom access.
Other factors that don’t necessarily explain the 2025 Coachella’s droopiness specifically include drug use and the production’s emphasis on capturing musicians’ performances over the crowd’s chatter. Even if attendees brought their energy, live stream viewers wouldn’t necessarily hear it. These factors deserve consideration but don’t shield festival goers from critiques, especially when performers like Benson Boone felt compelled to comment on the crowds’ responsiveness.
It is likely that Coachella’s increasing influencer appeal and brand partnership events dampen its intended spirit. Coachella is, first and foremost, a music gathering; ideally, attendees go to enjoy their favorite artists. However, many social media users have reported that Coachella attracts hordes of validation and gratification seekers over those interested in a genuine creative experience.
@bensonboone
Mystical Magical.
♬ Bohemian Rhapsody – Remastered 2011 – Queen
While there’s nothing wrong with documenting Coachella—it’s only a several-thousand-dollar event and one of the world’s biggest festivals—constant clout-chasing leaves much to be desired from a crowd theoretically present for artistic appreciation.
In a perfect world, Coachella isn’t about flexing, social ladder scaling, or stirring envy in one’s followers but about celebrating music and the people who create it. YouTube abounds with video commentaries highlighting Coachella’s skewed priorities and criticizing their effects on the festival’s enjoyment.
Where does this leave the issue of Brian May?
Music buffs recognize him as an essential member of one of rock’s pillar bands. The gifted guitarist, astrophysicist, and songwriter is both artistic and learned. He is credited with writing Queen’s smash hits like “We Will Rock You” and innovating the guitar landscape with his vast, layered playing style. His talents conveyed a satisfying blend of technical acuity and emotional depth during an era of intense musical evolution. Because of this, he has inspired countless other artists in their own work.
May’s creative contributions are indisputable. Unfortunately, Queen formed 55 years ago when Baby Boomers were in their prime, and much has changed musically, generationally, and culturally since.
The average Coachella attendee is 25 years old. Today’s mainstream music has shifted dramatically from band culture, rock, and a focus on musicians’ instrumental/innovative techniques to solo artists, electronic and synth-heavy tunes, and music’s general “vibe” or atmosphere. It’s not that the previous century’s music has necessarily lost favor with younger generations—Queen’s hits are as enduringly ubiquitous as Taylor Swift‘s—it’s just not as culturally visible or relevant now as modern work.
That is true of everything: generations come and go, and their interests and priorities go with them. Ask the average American retiree about Brian May, and they’ll probably perk up, mention the Red Special, and extol May’s artistic virtues. However, ask that person if they’ve heard The Tortured Poets Department (2024), and you’ll likely receive a blank stare. To the older person, the young person is “uncultured” and even foolish for not recognizing the Brian Mays of the world. To the young person, the older person is oblivious and “uncool” for caring more about the musical past than its present.
However, older folks and people invested in entertainment and its historical significance are still valid enough to question the “state” of modern music enjoyers. While it isn’t “wrong” or “right” to not recognize someone like Brian May—most casual listeners, if they’re honest, tend only to know a band’s lead singer—it would benefit music festival attendees (including the 30-and-under crowd) to at least be curious about and respectful of music’s forefathers. Maybe their knowledge of someone like May won’t exist before Coachella—today’s 25-year-olds live in a different world and have different tastes from their grandparents, but it can certainly come after.
All of this supposes Coachella attendees book tickets for the music, which, as plenty of people have pointed out, is doubtful. Expecting a crowd peppered liberally with chronically online youth to care about a half-century-old band’s guitar player is a stretch; it’s 2025, and the “Chella fit” comes first.
The reality is that Brian May is as finite and human as any of his listeners or fellow artists. Even meteoric fame isn’t forever. As such, May’s perceived relevance is subject to the ever-shifting tides of time. Coachella’s youthful crowd may not have responded as enthusiastically to his appearance as hoped or expected, and this highlights a disappointing erosion of artistic culture and understanding, but it’s also inevitable. History remembers many and few, and while plenty will forget specific icons, those deeply involved in the arts will not.
Young music lovers shouldn’t feel ashamed for not knowing every member of every band that predates their birth; instead, they should explore and learn as their interests allow. Those who don’t care either way—possibly a sizable portion of this year’s Coachella goers—simply won’t care. Brian May’s contributions are lost on them, and fans can begrudge them this or accept it as part of the ephemeral world they’re living in.
Sure, the “kids these days” have much to experience and learn. However, much goodness and much of what makes society bright, well-informed, and human are slipping away with each passing decade. That deserves a degree of reflection and mourning.
However, the kids these days are just that—kids—and have their own generation’s work to consider. Older and/or savvier listeners can recognize Brian May’s lack of recognition as the natural progression of life and the fickle nature of fame while continuing to honor him in their own way, or they can criticize those unaware of who he is.
Some constructive criticism is warranted; society shouldn’t forget the past, but so, too, is understanding and grace for this fundamental existential truth: we all have our time under the sun. Even as the new replaces the old, true artists and their quietly transformative influence will live on in the hearts and lives of those they touched. That is greater than fleeting influence: its impact.