Benson Boone lit up the main stage at Coachella Friday night (April 11) by welcoming surprise guest Brian May for a powerful rendition of Queen’s iconic 1975 hit “Bohemian Rhapsody.” However, according to the “Beautiful Things” singer, the reaction was not quite as expected.
After the event, the 22-year-old star took to TikTok to share a playful video making fun of the characteristically lackluster crowd at the festival. “Me trying to get the crowd at Coachella to understand what an absolute legend Brian May is and the cultural impact he has on music and THE WORLD,” Boone wrote over a clip of himself lip syncing to “Bohemian Rhapsody” into a banana microphone, and then looking visibly confused and frustrated when pretending to not hear a reaction from the crowd.
Meanwhile, over on Instagram, May expressed how excited he was to join Boone onstage. “I’m still reeling from last night at Coachella,” the Queen guitarist wrote alongside a photo of Boone jumping over him onstage. “Thanks to all of you folks who made it feel so special — you know who you are !!!! And this particular way of concluding Bohemian Rhapsody will be hard to beat in the years to come !!! Thanks. And for Benson and his entire team, I have no words. I’m awestruck.”
See his post here.
Similarly, on his page, Boone gushed over May and thanked his team for putting his performance together, writing, “@brianmayforreal I have no words. You are easily one of the most legendary musicians of all time and I cannot thank you enough for coming out. Thank you to my band, to my crew, to the design teams, to my managers and friends and family and loved ones that I would not be here without. I can’t wait to come back to Coachella next weekend, thank you for having me, and thank you for everything you do even if it’s just a simple stream. I love this job, i love this life, I love music, and I love the people I have around me. God bless you all.”
See Boone’s post here. The Grammy nominated singer will be returning to the Coachella stage for weekend two on Friday (April 18).
