Thirty musicians recently surprised a city block in Paris with an elaborate flash mob performance of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
You can see video of the remarkable performance below.
The footage begins with pedestrians and outdoor diners going about their normal activities on a beautiful day. Suddenly, three women pop out of a window over the square and begin singing the song’s famous “Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Caught in a landslide, no escape from reality” opening line.
They are joined in short order by pianist Julien Cohen (who posted the video Tuesday on his YouTube page), lead singer Mickey Castillo and several other singers and musicians, each popping up from various windows, vehicles and locations.
Eventually a total of 30 musicians have taken over the square, including 11-year-old internet guitar sensation Olly Pearson and a full opera choir. They perform the epic from 1975’s A Night at the Opera in full, receiving a rousing ovation from the audience that has gathered.
Recording ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ Took Queen a Very Long Time
The 50th anniversary of the first day of recording for “Bohemian Rhapsody” took place on Aug. 24. Queen reportedly spent three weeks’ worth of 10-12 hour days assembling 200 vocal overdubs to the song’s operatic climax, only for their label to declare the song unsuitable for release as a single due to its six-minute runtime.
Luckily the band pushed through their objections, and by Christmas of 1975 the song was at the top of the charts. It remains one of the best-selling singles in rock history.
Watch the ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ Paris Flash Mob Performance