- Brian May joined Brendan Boone on stage for Queen hit
- May teased the guest appearance shortly before
- The guitarist is “back to his old self!” following stroke
Legendary Queen guitarist Brian May shocked fans with an appearance on stage at Coachella during Friday night. It comes just six months after the rock star suffered a stroke, which left him without use of his left arm.
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May was a surprise guest for Brendan Boone, who has enjoyed a successful career since appearing on American Idol in 2021. Boone was playing the warm-up slot before headliner Lady Gaga and Missy Elliot.
Toward the end of his set, Boone donned a Freddie Mercury-inspired fur cloak, sat at the piano and performed a version of Queen’s megahit Bohemian Rhapsody.
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As the song reached the first guitar solo, Boone pointed to the top of the stairs on stage to introduce the rock icon. The 77-year-old May rose from below, dressed in a white shirt and a pair of grey skinny jeans, and burst into the band’s famed solo.
He hit every note perfectly and at one point, Boone leapt from the grand piano and over his head while he continued playing. May then remained on stage to perform on Boone’s final song, the singer’s own 2024 breakthrough single Beautiful Things.
Brian May and Brendan Boone are pals
May had teased the special moment before hitting the stage in California, taking to Instagram aboard a private jet shortly beforehand. After bumping into Brendan Boone on the way to the festival site, he wrote, ‘Look who I bumped into – on the way to the fabled Palm Springs… 💥💥💥💥 Maybe something will happen?! Bri.’
In a post that followed three hours later, the guitarist shared a selfie of them both together, looking in good spirits and announcing their friendship.
He captioned the post “Do we look happy ? !!! Gonna treasure this moment on the plane with @bensonboone – a truly golden 22 year old prodigy. I’m proud and happy to say we are now officially pals 💥💥💥💥 Bri”
“He’s very well now, he’s back to his old self!”
May’s surprise appearance came shortly after news that he is “back to his old self,” following a stroke that hospitalised him in September 2024.
The update was shared by his wife, actress Anita Dobson, during an appearance on Good Morning Britain just a couple of days earlier.
When asked by the show’s host, “And how is Sir Brian doing, we should ask of course, as he hadn’t been well, had he?” Dobson responded with a smile, “I’m very happy to say, thank you both for asking, he’s very well now – he’s back to his old self!”
