A flash mob performance of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” wowed bystanders in Paris, France, and quickly went viral online. Videos of the epic performance began circulating online on September 8 and have accrued millions of views since then.
Pianist Julien Cohen worked with lead singer Mickey Callisto and a full team of other musicians to pull off the buzzworthy performance. Cohen frequently posts videos on his Instagram page highlighting surprise performances he does, but the “Bohemian Rhapsody” flash mob took the concept to a whole new level.
While the flash mob needed no real context, there was a reason that particular song was chosen for that specific time. Callisto noted it was done to celebrate “50 years of arguably the greatest song of all time.” Queen first released the iconic song in October 1975.
When Cohen initially shared the video on Instagram, he wrote, “The most INSANE Bohemian Rhapsody flashmob you will ever see! With 30 musicians and singers in the streets of Paris.” He also teased, “Make sure to follow my account to see PART 2 in a few days!”
In just a couple of days, Cohen’s Instagram video received over 10.6 million “likes” and 135,000 comments. The video has also been shared on YouTube, TikTok, Reddit, and elsewhere.
Cohen shared the “Part 2” video on Instagram on September 9, and that one quickly went viral as well. In the caption, the performer gushed, “First part already has 70 million views in 20 hours it’s completely crazy.”
He continued, “I’m so happy you guys are enjoying this, my team and I put so much work into making this video, your love and comments mean a lot to me.”
In both of his Instagram posts, Cohen was very specific in crediting the fellow performers who helped pull off the “Bohemian Rhapsody” flash mob. The epic young guitarist who nearly stole the show is Olly Pearson, who is just 11 years old.
He previously appeared on Britain’s Got Talent, and according to GBN, he accomplished a show first by being the first performer to be given two golden buzzers by the judges in a single season.
Fans were upset with judge Simon Cowell when he quickly hit the buzzer in the show’s semi-finals to send Pearson through to the finals. Cowell admitted, “I probably went a little bit early, but I was so excited, and it was just so brilliant.” Fans were upset, it seems, because they wanted to see Pearson’s full performance.
“He was bloody brilliant, seriously, and he’s so small and talented, and carries magic,” Cowell said of Pearson’s Britain’s Got Talent performances.
Singer Callisto noted, “Never in a million years would I have thought I would be coming in on a horse and carriage in Paris singing Bohemian Rhapsody.”
The video was shared in the “Made Me Smile” subreddit, among others, and everybody loved it.
“Bohemian Rhapsody is already powerful, but with 30 voices echoing through Paris it probably felt like a once-in-a-lifetime concert,” one Reddit user commented.
“This gave me chills, the harmonies in the middle part are unreal,” another Reddit user wrote.
