Featured Image Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Coachella
Topics: Coachella, Sabrina Carpenter, Madonna, Festivals, Social Media, Gen Z
Ben Williams
Topics: Coachella, Sabrina Carpenter, Madonna, Festivals, Social Media, Gen Z
Sabrina Carpenter already had one of the most talked-about Coachella sets of the year, but bringing out Madonna took things to a whole other level, although not everyone was happy with her actual fans.
The 26-year-old Espresso singer returned to the California festival after a headline-making first weekend, which had already sparked plenty of conversation online.
However, her latest Coachella set came with a huge surprise as Madonna appeared during the performance, giving festivalgoers a proper pop history moment right in front of them.
It’s not every day Carpenter shares a stage with the Queen of Pop at one of the biggest festivals in the world, so you’d expect the whole area to be chaotic with attendees everywhere buzzing.
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As spotted by viewers at home, though, the craze of recording moments in life rather than living in them is more prevalent than ever.
Social media users were left distracted by what they claimed was a seriously ‘dead’ atmosphere, with people in the audience appearing to stand still, barely sing or dance, and hold their phones up to film instead.
One TikTok clip, later shared on X (formerly Twitter), showed a section of the audience facing the stage as text over the video read: "POV: ur the only ones singing to Madonna at Coachella."
The clip was posted with the blunt caption: "dead vibes". It turns out they were not the only person who thought something felt off, either.
One viewer wrote in their post: "Coachella crowds are so dead. It's jarring. Spending all that money to not sing or dance... Just arms up with their phone. No vibes. I understand why artists are performing in a way that also cater the audience at home."
They later added: "Anyone who seen or experienced a festival crowd in EU/UK knows what a good crowd is. Filming at shows is not a new thing; everyone does it. But being in [the] desert, paying thousands of $$, so worried about capturing a moment that you forget to live it is sad. Sing and dance a little!"
Another person was equally baffled by the reaction to celebrity icons like Carpenter and Madonna being on stage together, writing: "Still can’t get over this crowd. You have THE Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter right in front of you, and you’re watching through a phone screen. So depressing"
The criticism soon became a broader discussion about Coachella itself, with some arguing that the festival’s reputation has changed over the years.
One post read: "No, these crowds are definitely dead. And it’s not a Gen Z problem, it’s a Coachella one. Plenty of other festivals today don’t look like this, but this is the Instagram festival, so this is what you get."
However, not everyone agreed with the pile-on.
Pushing back against the criticism, one person argued: "My least favorite thing about Coachella is having to hear these weird takes because you can’t feel the crowd energy through the YouTube in your house or wherever you’re STREAMING. Talking about no vibes, and you’re watching in your living room. Shut up."