Benson Boone trolls Coachella with cardboard cutout of Queen rocker Brian May — week after ‘horrible’ audience’s reaction
The show must go on!
Pop-rocker Benson Boone trolled his Coachella crowd on Friday night when he brought out a surprise guest after last week’s crowd had an underwhelming reaction to iconic Queen guitarist Brian May.
The “Beautiful Things” hitmaker staged a cardboard cutout of the legendary rocker to appear onstage — instead of the actual May — for his flashy cover of “Bohemian Rhapsody” during the festival’s second weekend.
Boone, who wore a fur cape to honor Queen singer Freddie Mercury, began the song at the turquoise piano, performed his signature flip off the Yamaha instrument and turned center stage to watch the cutout of May rise into view after the second verse.
As Boone sang, “I sometimes wish I’d never been born at all,” the cardboard cutout was featured while a real guitarist, Sus Vasquez, played the first guitar solo.
“Brian May!” Boone excitedly shouted.
The Grammy-nominated artist grabbed the cutout during the song’s bridge, slid it past his choir of backup singers and walked it around the bottom part of the stage during the second guitar solo.
The “Beautiful Things” artist placed the image down a few times, but just like the song, it would ironically tip over, “any way the wind blows.”
A seemingly unfazed Boone grabbed “May” multiple times and held him in the air as he finished the song in the California desert.
“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,” Boone told the crowd as he finished his set with his popular song “Beautiful Things.”
Earlier in the day, Boone teased that there would be a special guest during the hit 1975 song.
“Just wait till you see who I bring up for Bohemian Rhapsody today …” the singer captioned.
Boone playfully posted a TikTok video after the gig, where he lip-synced the famous tune alongside the massive cutout.
“He really said this crowd doesn’t deserve Brian again,” one fan quipped.
“I honestly don’t understand how you brought out one of the best guitar players of all time and THATS how they reacted I would have been screaming my head off,” another said.
“I don’t blame Brian May for flaking from that horrible crowd tbh,” a third responded.
On April 11, Boone showcased May’s talents during the first week of the festival, just seven months after the 77-year-old rocker suffered from a stroke and was temporarily unable to move his arm.
However, the crowd didn’t react as expected and had a lukewarm response to the surprise guest that they may not have recognized.
On Wednesday, May reacted to the moment by sharing a video of the performance on Instagram with the caption, “Well, I’m still processing that moment in Coachella – seems like the world is, too. Mr Boone — you gave us all a gift. Bri.”
The legendary guitarist was not at Friday’s performance because he claimed to be on a NASA Asteroid mission.
“I’m here to take part in an encounter with an ASTEROID that has never been seen by human eyes,” May wrote on Instagram. “Wanna see how the scientists here are thinking it MIGHT look on Sunday when the fly-by happens ? I’ll show you (next post). Meanwhile I’m enjoying Historic Boulder Colorado in the snow ! Bri.”