Coachella has now kicked off festival season in the U.S., but ticket buyers and content creators have shared over social media a disappointment in the popular festival.
Coachella had a lot of controversy, namely: outfits and the music.
It all brought out the question of is Coachella worth it and from what I saw this year it’s not. From the music point of view it’s good it usually has good performers but if you’re going for the experience of a festival it’s not as worth it.
The experience doesn’t seem as fun or worth the price people are paying from the perspective of watching influencers post videos online about their festival season.
Every year, for two back to back weekends in early April, Coachella draws people’s attention to influencers and what they’re wearing and who has the best outfit of the year. This year some people were disappointed because the outfits didn’t match expectations. Whether they were “fashion disasters” or didn’t quite match the vibe, people still had complaints and pinned the outfits against each other.
The Publication DAZED said, “Though it may be, first and foremost, a music festival, Coachella remains a continued source of intrigue for its fluctuating contributions to fashion.”
During Benson Boone’s performance on the first day of the festival he did a cover of Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen and brought out the lead guitarist of the band, Brian May.
Publication POPMATTERS says, “The 77-year-old guitarist’s Coachella involvement marked a tearful moment for many Queen fans but received such a lukewarm live reception.” This led to even more controversy for the festival but now on the music side of things. Because fans all around were upset about the lack of reaction from the crowd when the famous guitarist came out.
With the fashion not meeting expectations and the lack of hype for Brian May being disappointing it brought in a lot of talk around the first weekend of Coachella and what the next weekend would hold for the festival.
Leah Prince • May 30, 2025 at 1:15 pm
On May 27, 2025, Emma Croff wrote an article titled “The Downfall of Coachella.” In it she discusses this year’s Coachella. Croff includes the different aspects of why Coachella might be appealing, mostly for the music and fashion. However, Croff describes both aspects as significantly underwhelming. They describe this year’s fashion as “not fitting the theme” and “fashion disasters”.
The author also mentions the controversy regarding Benson Boone’s performance during the first week of the festival. Croff describes Benson Boone bringing out a famous guitarist. Although an emotional moment for Queen fans, the audience was completely unmoved. This was a big issue this year as many of the crowds had very little reactions to the performances.
The author describes both of these disappointments and raises the question whether Coachella is even worth the money. The author does a great job of providing evidence for her opinion stated in the article. Overall, the author does a great job summarizing the controversy of the event.
Fabian Sourinthone • May 30, 2025 at 9:55 am
On May 27, 2025, Emma Croff wrote an article titled “The Downfall of Coachella”. This article brings a spotlight to the various controversies that occurred at this year’s Coachella. Initially, Croff discusses what Coachella as a whole is to readers who might be unaware of what Coachella even is. Additionally, Croff then discusses the two main topics at Coachella that sparked a lot of controversy: music and outfits. Croff then goes to detail the controversies revolving around this year’s outfits which she does a great job doing so. Croff elaborates on how many people viewed the outfits of many performers at Coachella as a “hot mess” and how some didn’t understand the assignment whatsoever.
Furthermore, Croff then discusses the performance of Benson Boone to highlight the muscial aspect of Coachella and states that during Boone’s performance, he performed a cover of “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen and even brought out Brian May. She also notes that the audience had little to no reaction to the performance which sparked anger from actual Queen fans who couldn’t even attend because they would’ve definitely ate that performance. Overall, Croff does a very great job, discussing the controversies of Coachella and how these events have sparked online discussion on various platforms.
Melissa Centeno • May 30, 2025 at 9:27 am
On May 27, 2025, Emma Croff wrote an article titled “The Downfall of Coachella”. The main praise in this article was the controversial outcome this year’s Coachella of concerns of a downfall. Croff explains how disappointing Coachella was this year with expectations not going as well with the fashion being a “disaster”. This brings a greater perspective on those who actually attend the music festival for musical festivities other than fashion which takes the whole purpose of Coachella to a different level of influencers and their fashion statements.
Croff also brings up the audience during performances made mentioning how the audience was lacking in reactions. Croff brings this out with evidence from the publication “POPMATTERS” of a lack of reaction when Queen, lead member guitarist came out onto stage. Reactions were quiet and seem to not focus much on what once in a lifetime experience was happening. This can really show the downfall of Coachella as it shows how more people go to this event for the influencer side other than going for the actual music. I now wonder if Coachella is really going to be like this forever, or will it go back to it’s prime when it was not centered around influencers.
David Fender • May 29, 2025 at 3:05 pm
On May 27, 2025, Emma Croff wrote an article titled “The Downfall of Coachella.” The main purpose of this article was to discuss the controversies regarding this year’s Coachella. Croff first discusses what Coachella is for readers who are unaware of the popular music festival. She then goes on to describe the debates about two of Coachella’s most notable aspects: music and outfits.
Croff did an excellent job in highlighting the controversies involving this year’s outfits. She discusses how many believed the outfits this year were “fashion disasters” and how they didn’t match the vibe of the festival. I was aware that people were complaining about the abundance of fast fashion, but I was unaware that they were considered “fashion disasters,” so Croff brings some insightful points into her article on the topic of Coachella fashion.
Croff then goes on to talk about the music aspect of Coachella, specifically in Benson Boone’s performance. She clearly illustrates that during Boone’s performance, he performed a cover of “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen, bringing out the band’s lead guitarist, Brian May. She notes that the audience had little reaction to May’s presence on stage, garnering a lot of anger from Queen fans who were unable to attend the festival. I recognize that this was a common theme throughout Coachella’s performances this year, as many fans complained about the audience’s lack of energy during the performances. Overall, Croff does a great job in explaining the controversies surrounding this year’s Coachella and how it has generated discussion online.
Pete Wilson • May 29, 2025 at 1:22 pm
Dear Corydon Editor,
On May 29th, Emma Croff wrote an article titled “The Downfall of Coachella”. Croff goes into detail about how many people see Coachella and many of the different motives people go to. Some go for the music performed by many various artists of different genres, others go for the amounts of fashion worn by attendees, and some go just for the overall experience. But this year all categories have turned out underwhelming.
Croff explains how despite the interesting and outgoing fashion pieces people wore, many see these outfits as ugly, “fashion disasters”, or just did not fit the event’s vibe; many did not like the outfits. Outfits were also pinned against each other. This was disappointing to many who attended Coachella go as it draws people’s attention to influencers and what they’re wearing and who has the best outfit of the year. Croff also mentions the controversy over the music during the event. Croff speaks about Benson Boone’s performance and how he brought out a highly famous guitarist from the band Bohemian Rhapsody. This made fans of the band highly emotional but got very little reaction to those in the crowd.
Liana Lopez • May 29, 2025 at 9:32 am
Dear Corydon Editor,
On May 27, 2025, Emma Croff composed an opinion article titled “The Downfall of Coachella.” In this article, Croff relays that the Coachella festival has surfaced controversy over outfits and music. Moreover, Croff explains that from the music point of view it’s good, but if you’re going for the festival side of things it’s not as enjoyable. Emma continues her thought by including that many influencers attend Coachella to attract attention to their creative outfits. Croff states that many Coachella fans believed some of the outfits were “fasion disasters” or didn’t match the vibe overall. Lastly, Emma also writes that the crowd reaction to Queen guitarist, Brian May, brought controversy as Queen fans were upset about the lack of recognition and praise for May.
I feel that Emma Croff’s article can be beneficial to those who may be debating whether or not they want to attend a Coachella festival. I admire Croff’s ability to specifically face the downsides many have faced in regards to Coachella. I do believe Croff could’ve strengthened this article by including personal interviews with those who have attended the festival themselves, getting first-person accounts. Overall, Croff’s article was very helpful to myself personally, as I’ve been considering attending the event.
Eliana Brion • May 29, 2025 at 9:22 am
Dear Corydon Editor,
On May 27, 2025, Emma Croff wrote an article titled “The Downfall of Coachella”. Croff explains the controversy of the popular music festival. She begins as she demonstrates the idea that going to Coachella is not worth the extensive price you have to pay as a general audience.
To add on, Croff displays the fact that most influencers and celebrities in attendance this year did not live up to the high expectations in terms of their outfits. I understand the annoyance over people dressing down and not matching the overall vibe of Coachella. However, I think criticizing others because of their outfit is extremely shallow. Coachella should be an event where people go in order to see their favorite artist and listen to great music. Outfits and glam should only be a plus.
Lastly, Croff then states the controversy over a Benson Boone cover of “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen. Brian May was brought out to perform alongside Boone and there appeared to be a lack of hype and excitement for the guitarist.
All in all, Croff effectively wrote an article that covered the issues surrounding this year’s Coachella festival.
Sincerely,
Eliana Brion