The big shock of the evening, though, came when Benson Boone (and longtime Freddie Mercury stan and cosplayer) had Brian May hop onstage to play guitar for “Bohemian Rhapsody” and his massive smash “Beautiful Things.

Boone and May’s Bohemian Rhapsody rendition headlined a weekend of high notes from across the festival’s opening installment

When the inevitable oral history of Coachella is written at some point in the future, the first day of the 2025 edition of the mega-fest will likely be remembered for two things: first, the nearly-unbearable 100-plus degree heat that made the early part of the day a bear to slog through for even the most faithful fans of the desert gathering,