Benson Boone has slammed his Coachella audiences for not knowing who Brian May is. The Beautiful Things crooner, 22, paid homage to Queen’s beloved frontman, Freddie Mercury, at the festival by singing the rock band’s timeless record, Bohemian Rhapsody before bringing out Brian, 77, onto stage.
As Benson, donning a flared jumpsuit that evoked Freddie Mercury’s style, began performing Queen’s legendary song, Brian emerged on a platform to rock the crowd with his famous guitar solo. “Brian May, everybody!” Benson shouted to the audience, though their reaction was notably tepid.
Although Brian’s collaboration with Benson was full of energy, the crowd’s response felt somewhat lackluster. Fans quickly pointed out that the Coachella audience, largely made up of younger festival-goers, might not have fully appreciated the significance of his return to the stage.
Benson slammed the crowd’s response in a now viral TikTok as he was seen dancing and singing in his kitchen. The pope star captioned the shot: “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.”
And it wasn’t long before social media users flocked to the comments to further diss the crowd. “Too bad the Coachella crowd was just too young to know who Brian May is… Most undeserving crowd,” one fan posted. Another shared: “The lack of energy for Sir Brian May at Coachella was shocking! That crowd DOESN’T represent American Queen fans! After the movie and the sold-out 2023 US tour, you’d think they’d at least have heard of him. Apparently not, sadly.”
“It’s actually disgraceful that all these Gen Z’s have no clue about what real music is,” another fumed. “Cannot believe the reaction Brian got. That must have been one serious slap in the face for him. Poor guy,” another echoed.
Commenters on Benson’s video also expressed their belief that a UK crowd would have given Brian a much stronger reception. “Brian May deserves a UK crowd. That whole performance would have sent a UK crowd wild!” one fan wrote.
Brian, who co-founded Queen in 1970, looked vibrant and healthy as he performed on stage for the first time since experiencing a minor stroke last September. At the time, he admitted he feared his “little health hiccup” might mark the end of his illustrious career.
Sharing the news with his fans on Instagram, Brian said: “I’m here to bring you some good news – the good news is that I can still play guitar after the events of the last few days. I say this because it was in some doubt after what they called a minor stroke. It was a little scary, I have to say.”
After the Coachella performance, Brian referred to Benson as a “22-year-old prodigy.” Benson, clearly thrilled by the experience, took to Instagram to express his gratitude, 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.”
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