Anyone who checked their calendar yesterday knew it wasn’t April Fools’ Day, but for a bunch of Kid Cudi fans at the Halo: Reach launch Monday night, it was like they had just gotten punk’d. Held at the Best Buy Theater in Times Square, formerly the Nokia Theatre, video game snobs endured pure mayhem in their spacious basement. Every corner was a dream for the kid with a short attention span. Developers tried to beat each other at the highly-sought-after game in one corner, while fans got first dibs on the phenomenon in the main room. Early birds grabbed T-shirts, book bags, and hats, and sampled the tasty appetizers. But it was the fans who took to the stage early for a prime viewing spot that ended up being the most disappointed come midnight.

Around this time, the “Day ‘N’ Nite” rapper was supposed to have performed already, and gamers were supposed to be lined up to buy the game. As midnight approached, there was still no word on whether Cudi would stiff his fans. Enter the chants for clearly some of these fans would do a Halo-for-Scott trade-off. When the host came onstage to announce that Mr. Rager wouldn’t be appearing, most of the crowd started making their way toward the exit—all except a handful of die-hards who wouldn’t accept their dream being deferred.

However, almost simultaneously, word got around that Cudi was in the press junket, which he was supposed to do post show. He walked right past, being tailgated by a sea of photographers. Three minutes later, poof! He appeared to perform a three-song set to half a room of patient fans. On the set list was a sparsely apologetic “Erase Me,” where Mescudi slipped in a “Sorry I’m late!,” a sing-along to “Cudi Zone,” and a very blissful “Pursuit of Happiness.”

Luckily Cudi knew how to pacify and yet exacerbate the youngsters by allowing himself to get mobbed, staying to sign autographs and take pictures. Lesson of the night: Fake-outs may be imminent; don’t believe everything you hear.

–Tanya Remekie