“Ghost’s Tobias Forge Performs ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ with Queen Legends Brian May and Roger Taylor in Attendance”
By Website Content Manager
“The performance took place during a ceremony in Stockholm, where Queen received the prestigious Polar Music Prize from King Carl Gustaf of Sweden.”
In what was likely one of the most challenging performances in recent memory, Ghost’s lead singer Tobias Forge took on Queen’s iconic Bohemian Rhapsody in front of a star-filled audience at the Polar Music Prize event held in Stockholm, Sweden.
Present to watch the performance were Queen’s Brian May and Roger Taylor, along with their current vocalist Adam Lambert and Sweden’s King Carl Gustaf. Given the weight of the moment, it’s understandable that Forge appeared somewhat nervous and slightly unsteady at the start, even while masked.
Forge shared the stage with Fredrik Åkesson, the guitarist from Opeth who contributed to Ghost’s recent album Skeletá, as well as the Eric Ericson Chamber Choir—a prestigious ensemble established in 1945.
The Polar Music Prize, often regarded as the music industry’s equivalent of the Nobel Prize, is awarded annually to two or three outstanding musicians from both contemporary and classical genres. This year, Queen was honored as one of the recipients.
Accepting the award, guitarist Brian May reflected, “In this special moment, I think about how the younger Brian May in 1974 might have felt, knowing that 50 years later we would be living this incredible dream.”
Roger Taylor added, “When we formed the band, we had big goals but never imagined the incredible journey ahead. Our success came from the unique chemistry created by our four very different personalities coming together.”
At the ceremony, former Skid Row and current Michael Schenker Group vocalist Erik Grönwall performed Queen’s “Stone Cold Crazy,” while Adam Lambert delivered powerful renditions of “Who Wants To Live Forever” and “Another One Bites The Dust.”