When Benson Boone rocked Coachella 2025 with “Bohemian Rhapsody,” he had a little surprise up his sleeve that had Queen fans tearing up. The pop star tapped none other than Queen guitar legend Brian May to perform the band’s hit, creating an iconic moment that will go down in Coachella history. The crowd’s reaction did, however, cause some controversy, which we’ll get into in a moment. Boone walked on stage dressed in an opulent royal cloak, referencing Queen frontman Freddie Mercury’s famous king outfit.
Boone then played Mercury’s part on piano and sang the unforgettable opening lines of “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Not everyone could pull off such a demanding vocal part, but it probably won’t surprise The Music Man readers to hear that Boone was all over it. May made a big entrance just after the two-minute mark and electrified Coachella with that classic guitar solo. At the 3:30 mark, May teamed up with Boone’s guitarist Sus Vasquez for a twin guitar attack, and the beaming smile she wore throughout really said it all.
Both Boone and Coachella uploaded the “Bohemian Rhapsody” performance on April 15, 2025, and it has since been viewed 4.1 million times. Fans couldn’t get enough of the big collab, and added comments such as “I’m so happy he brought Sir Brian May out! Made me tear up, I miss Queen so bad” and “I don’t know what else to say, but my tears fell when Brian May appeared, a feeling of shock and happiness at the same time.”
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Other commenters suggested that the crowd at Coachella didn’t fully appreciate the appearance of the British guitar legend. Apparently, Boone felt the same way, as he later uploaded a playful TikTok video of himself at home holding a banana like a mic and attempting to hype up an imaginary crowd before giving up in frustration. He captioned the video: “Me trying to get the Coachella crowd to understand what an absolute legend Brian May is.” May also joined Boone for the American star’s hit “Beautiful Things.”
The Music Man readers probably won’t be surprised to hear that May’s guest appearance at Boone’s show produced international headlines. Boone’s TikTok video roasting the Coachella crowd likewise attracted global attention, with outlets such as Billboard reporting on the crowd’s “underwhelming reaction” to the big moment.
Fans can be grateful that May was able to appear at the show at all, as in September 2024, the guitarist revealed on Instagram that he recently suffered a stroke and that he had feared it would end his music career.
May said in the Instagram video that he was happy to report he was able to play guitar again and explained, “I say this because it was in some doubt because that little health hiccup that I mentioned happened about a week ago and what they called it was a minor stroke. It was a little scary, I have to say.”