Benson Boone has clapped back at the Coachella crowd for their lukewarm reaction to his special guest, Brian May.
Over the weekend, he made his debut at the California festival, which saw sets from the likes of Lady Gaga, Post Malone, Travis Scott, Missy Elliott, Charli XCX, Megan Thee Stallion and more, with Boone’s performance featuring his signature backflips and a surprise appearance from the Queen legend.
Taking to the stage on Friday (April 11) decked out in a Freddie Mercury-esque cape, the ‘Slow It Down’ singer launched into ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ on piano before May emerged from the top of the stage to join him on guitar.
May stuck around as the set rounded off, standing alongside Boone’s band to play his hit ‘Beautiful Things, complete with Queen-style guitar riffs and fireworks. Speaking to the Californian crowd about his Friday night slot at the fest, Boone said: “It has changed my life this year and I hope you enjoy it.”
However, it seems fans at the festival didn’t respond as expected. In a new video shared to his TikTok account, Boone sang with a banana and did mock attempts to stir a crowd, joking: “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.”
@bensonboone Mystical Magical.
Benson Boone’s setlist at Coachella 2025 was:
‘Sorry I’m Here for Someone Else’
‘Cry’
‘Drunk In My Mind’
‘There She Goes’
‘Slow It Down’
‘Forever and a Day’
‘Mystical Magical’ (live debut of new track)
‘In the Stars’
‘Young American Heart’
‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ (with Brian May)
‘Beautiful Things’ (with Brian May)
In the comments of Boone’s video, fans sympathised with his frustration. “It was an AMAZING performance and Brian May was THE surprise guest of the century,” assured one TikTok user. “You perfectly planned out everything except for the fact Coachella crowds are boring. They’re there for the pics.”
Others agreed, writing: “The fact that they didn’t lose their minds is insane,” while others speculated that if Boone had gone to “every other place in the world other than America”, the reaction would be more pronounced.
It’s not the first time the festival crowd has drawn criticism over the weekend, with fans saying that while Three 6 Mafia “killed” their special-guest laden set, those in the audience did not “recognize the greatness”. Likewise, while some festival-goers were impressed by the set design at Travis Scott‘s set, others complained about the Houston rapper being late to perform for a “dead” crowd.
Despite reports of a disappointing crowd reaction, May later took to Instagram to say being a part of it left him “reeling”, writing: “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.” Check out the post above.
Elsewhere in the night, Boone announced his sophomore album, ‘American Heart’ would be out on June 20 after playing the title track. He later went on to share the cover artwork, which sees him stood in front of an American flag.