Last year, the world’s weirdest metal frontman joined forces with one of Sweden’s most famous chamber choirs for a tribute concert that would catch Queen bandmates Brian May and Roger Taylor completely off guard.
With glitzy chandeliers dappling the dim-lit theatre of the 2025 Polar Music Prize Awards, a spectrum of Swedish and international A-Listers was in attendance. Queen’s original bandmates had rocked up to accept the Polar Music Prize for their lifetime achievements. But amid tribute performances from Adam Lambert, Miriam Bryant, and Eric Grönwall, Ghost frontman Tobias Forge nervously hit the stage for a cover that would soon go down in rock history.
Racking up more than 2.2 million views in little more than a year, Music Man readers can watch Ghost’s viral “Bohemian Rhapsody” cover unfold in the video above…
The Eric Ericson Chamber Choir opens this rendition just like the record – pitch-perfect a cappella layers setting an ethereal scene for Ghost’s frontman to soar over. But when Tobias steps into the spotlight, a gasp overcomes the celebrity audience.
His face covered by a metallic, space grey skeleton mask, untamed hair poking through the straps as his leather-gloved hands clutch the mic stand, Tobias easily bridges the gap between shock metal and classic rock; a strange silhouette keeping the audience on edge and begging for a legendary moment.
Nervously, Tobias attempts the ballad verse, vocals wavering beneath the pressure, knowing this could well be a career-defining performance, if only all goes to plan. In real time, we watch the frontman charge through his anxiety to tribute the rock gods sitting before him, and fans can’t spread enough respect after watching him fight his demons.
As one top commenter wrote, “He was nervous but he gave it his all. You know this is a real human moment when you see someone with media training and has played in front of hundreds of thousands of people, and the nerves are still there. Nothing but love for Tobias.”
Another fan commented to the tune of 5,900 likes: “It takes some serious balls to cover Bohemian Rhapsody in front of Brian May and Roger Taylor, Tobias did a great job with what he has.”
By the end of the set, Tobias has sunk seamlessly into his role as Queen frontman for a day. He invites the legendary Opeth and Ghost guitarist Frederik Åkesson on stage for a blinding solo before the song’s final movement earns Ghost a standing ovation from the original Queen bandmates.
Even a year on, Ghost fans still can’t quite believe this tribute performance actually happened, with one viewer writing to 2.6k likes, “It felt like I was seeing my own kid at his first school play, OMGGG!”
Tobias Forge’s show-stopping “Bohemian Rhapsody” tribute proved even the most unexpected collaborations can become rock history. Want to discover more? Useful links to the performance, reactions and interviews are listed below this paragraph.