Queen: Brian May performs "Bohemian Rhapsody" at Coachella with Benson Boone – Watch the video

A surprise appearance that has already made history at Coachella 2025: Brian May, guitarist of the Queen, joined Benson Boone onstage at the festival to perform "Bohemian Rhapsody". During the young American singer's set, the crowd watched as May took the stage for an epic rendition of the Queen classic, backed by a choir, 70s-style lighting, and pyrotechnics.

The two then went on to perform a live version of "Beautiful Things", Boone's own hit.

Watch the video of Brian May and Benson Boone's performance of "Bohemian Rhapsody" below.

Speaking about the band's relationship with Freddie Mercury, May recently recounted how the frontman would sometimes have to give in to pushback from his bandmates, especially when some of his more exuberant ideas didn't win May's own approval. "Deep down, Freddie was one of the shyest people I've ever met. But he was so exuberant that you tended to forget it. He always had boundless energy and ideas that were out of the box, and we often encouraged them," the guitarist revealed. But not always, it seems. "Sometimes his ideas were brilliant, other times a little less so," May recalled, bringing up Mercury's suggestion for the title of the band's 1989 album, which eventually became "The Miracle". "One day he came in all excited and said: 'You know Michael Jackson put out an album called "Bad"? Well, I thought we could call ours "Good"'." The suggestion was met with a chilly reception from the rest of the band: "We looked at each other, puzzled, and said: 'Freddie, maybe we should think about it for a minute, what do you say?'"

In the same interview, May also spoke about the possibility of new Queen music, this time with Adam Lambert on vocals. Although unreleased material with the singer, who has long since taken over frontman duties onstage, has been discussed for years, nothing considered up to standard has surfaced so far. But the guitarist now isn't ruling out the possibility: "It could happen. Roger and I write all the time, we experiment in the studio... I might have the beginning of a Queen song right in front of me at this very moment. It's just a matter of seeing whether the idea grows and takes shape." Roger Taylor, too, sounded open to the idea last year in an interview with Uncut: "Brian and I were talking about it recently, and we think we've got some good material on our hands, so why not? We can still play and sing, so I don't see why we shouldn't."

Freddie Mercury was the undisputed star of Queen, the one who contributed decisively to their massive worldwide success with his powerful voice and explosive onstage performances. And yet, early on, the rest of the English band had their doubts about the singer, and he himself wasn't confident in his own voice. That's according to guitarist Brian May, speaking during a recent Q&A session. May revealed that Queen had questioned the choice to work with Mercury back in 1970: "The first time we worked with him, it was a bit unsettling," he explained. "He was running around everywhere and screaming uncontrollably. We wondered: 'Is this going to work?'"

According to May, Freddie wasn't yet the established frontman he would go on to become, and his exuberant personality divided audiences: "Some found him abrasive, but everyone found him interesting and entertaining. Still, he wasn't yet the Freddie Mercury we know." The turning point came during the first demo sessions in 1971. Once in the studio, Freddie listened to his recorded voice and wasn't satisfied: "He immediately said: 'I don't like it. I'm doing it again,'" May recalls. Mercury's determination led him to record take after take until he got the result he wanted, growing ever more aware of his own potential and quickly turning into the singer he aspired to be.

May pointed out that this process took a long time, a perfectionism that would last throughout Queen's career: "Every new album was a chance for Freddie to push further, he'd listen to the recordings and constantly try to improve himself, with ever more passion and intensity. And we'd encourage one another, constantly pushing each other to give our best."

Ride the wave of great music

Add OndaRock to your favorite sources on Google Discover. Don't miss our reviews, milestones and latest news straight in your feed.

Follow on Google