A week after Benson Boone covered Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” at Coachella with special guest Brian May, the “Beautiful Things” singer reprised the moment for the festival’s second weekend… but this time, instead of the real-life Brian May, Boone had another special guest: a cardboard cutout of Brian May.
Perhaps poking fun at the crowd for their lackluster response to the legendary guitarist at the first weekend, Boone teased prior to the song, “Just wait till you see who I bring up for ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ today.”
Then, once the tune began, things started the same way they did the week prior — Boone, draped in a cape, sang the intro and did yet another flip off his piano. But as he got to the line “I sometimes wish I’d never been born at all” and turned to greet the special guest platform rising from beneath the stage, the only person — err, thing — on it was the life-size May replica.
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“Brian May!” Boone energetically shouted, pointing at the cutout as real-life guitarist Sus Vasquez skillfully delivered the guitar solo in May’s absence.
Later in the song, Boone brought the cutout down from the platform to the main stage where his band was set up, placing it on top of his piano at one point and, ultimately, putting his arm around it for the song’s tender conclusion. Watch a video of the performance below.
Later in the set, Boone told the audience, “I would like to let you all know, on Brian’s behalf, he would’ve loved to have been here, but he unfortunately had to fly out so, we came up with that idea and he sends his love.”
May’s appearance at Coachella weekend one marked a return to the stage after he suffered a stroke last year, temporarily losing the ability to use his left arm. On social media this week, he expressed his excitement at participating in the set, saying Boone “gave us all a gift” and sharing fan-made recreation videos.
Up next, Boone will perform at several other festivals this summer, including Governors Ball, Bourbon & Beyond, and more (get tickets). He also announced on-stage at Coachella that his sophomore album, American Heart, will arrive on June 20th via Night Street/Warner.
For more, follow our Coachella 2025 coverage here.
@bensonboonenation Benson Boone covers Bohemian Rhapsody with a cardboard cutout of Brian May at Coachella Weekend 2 #bensonboone #coachella