John Legend became the subject of massive backlash after a disappointing showcase at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday night, August 21. The Grammy winner took the stage to perform a rendition of rock & roll icon Prince's “Let's Go Crazy.” Belting out the notes to the legendary '80s song alongside Sheila E, he took over the music scene right before Minnesota Governor Tim Walz addressed voters at the United Centre.

John's performance indubitably fell short of legendary and his version of the hit track failed to impress fans, who couldn't come to terms with the “Purple Rain” artist's legacy being tarnished.

Internet reacts to John Legend's Prince tribute at DNC 

Unleashing their ignited fury on social media, some users made their dissatisfaction with Legend loud and clear. Lashing out at the decision of the “All of Me” singer being the supposed “perfect pick to perform Let's Go Crazy,” a user wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “Don't do that sh*t again.” While Legend suffered the wrath of their fury, the other artists received applause, “Sheila E and that guitarist alone was fire!” they continued.

Another enraged netizen declared that they didn't “want to hear John Legend sing Prince songs.”

A different social media critic slammed the Grammy winner for not being able to hit the right notes. “…he has no vibe. What an insult to Prince's legacy, honestly people, leave it alone already. HAVE SOME RESPECT,” they added.

While many others were busy outright bashing the Legend, a fourth user took a more gentle approach to voice their criticism for him. “I was not a fan of John Legend singing this song (it didn't fit his voice or style). But Sheila E… Sheila E is always (three fire emojis).”

Meanwhile, a fan pointed out, “First album John Legend could do this better, he’s too much of a crooner now.” A presumable Prince fan commented, “He would've hated it (purple heart emoji)." In a follow-up message, the same user continued, “Legend doesn’t have the juice to do Prince justice. You don’t need to be a Prince-like figure to do Prince, but you have to be an eccentric little freak like Prince.”

Guitarist Ari O'Neal hailed as the bigger star onstage during John Legend performance

Contrary to remarks directed towards John, guitarist Ari O'Neal (social media will also know her as “Ms Fender”) seemed to have gained quite the fan following with the DNC performance.

An X user wrote, “Guitarist Ari O’Neal has gained a fan. Sheeeeeeessh.” A second admirer chimed in, “The guitar player: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ out of five.”

Born in Minnesota, the highly acclaimed legendary artist died in the Land of the 10,000 Lakes in 2016. Prince's song, covered by John Legend at DNC on Wednesday, was originally featured on the 1984 album “Purple Rain” and is celebrated as the one of the late singer's most unforgettable hits. Joining Legend onstage, Sheila E is a California singer, a long-time pal and collaborator of Prince.

While Legend has been an avidly outspoken supporter of Kamala Harris' election bid this year, it turns out he made a lot of music fans his non-fans on Wednesday after his Prince tribute.

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