“Bohemian Rhapsody” by rock band Queen is one of the most popular songs of all time. Of course, a lot of different groups have covered it over the years. Most of the renditions aren’t too out of the ordinary. However, recently, we came across a version of “Bohemian Rhapsody” performed by student-run organization HarvardTHUD that is unlike any that we’ve ever heard or seen.
They play the whole track on instruments called Boomwhackers.
Until we saw the video that they posted on YouTube, we never even realized this was a thing.
The THUD in HarvardTHUD stands for “The Harvard Undergraduate Drummers.
They play every type of percussion instrument that you can think of. Sometimes that means having drum set battles on standard drum sets. Other times, that means using more obscure percussion objects such as buckets and plastic cups to make music. However, one of the most interesting instruments that they use is the Boomwhacker.
Boomwhackers are tuned percussion tubes that can be played by hitting them on virtually anything.
They are really popular at sports games where fans knock them on their seats and whatever else is in the near vicinity to make loud musical sounds and cheer on the players.
HarvardTHUD is a little more calculated with their use of the Boomwhackers though.
They play them by hitting them on their knees in an extremely coordinated fashion. In the “Bohemian Rhapsody” performance, there are 15 students sitting on chairs on stage, each with multiple Boomwhackers to choose from. Every Boomwhacker corresponds to a specific musical note.
It seems impossible that a full rock song could be played with long hollow tubes, however, HarvardTHUD proves that it is definitely possible. Really, it’s something you have to see to believe.
The only thing missing is singer Freddie Mercury belting out the haunting lyrics of the track.
According to some sources, in his final days, Mercury was said to have turned to manager Jim Beach and delivered this classic quote:
“Do anything you want with my music dear, but never make me boring!” – Freddie Mercury
We have to say, the HarvardTHUD cover certainly isn’t boring. In fact, it’s about as far as you can possibly get from boring. It’s both whimsical and goofy, lovely and heartwarming.
Somehow, when played on Boomwhackers, the song seems much more cheerful than normal too.
Adding to that is the fact that all of the students were dressed like cowboys for the performance. Each of them dawned a plaid button-down shirt and a cowboy hat throughout the song, and at least one student can be spotted wearing a fake black mustache.
It’s such a silly thing for students of such a serious university to do, and it begs the question, why?
However, Freddie Mercury himself was always about putting on a show with his flamboyant outfits and incredible stage presence, so why not wear cowboy hats? It’s just good old-fashioned fun, and in that context, it makes perfect sense.
We imagine that whacking sticks on things and making music is a great way to blow off steam too. There is no better way to unwind after a grueling day of classes. Once you watch, the video, you’ll see what we mean.
Boomwhackers are such an unusual instrument. The closest thing we can think of to compare them to is a xylophone. The sound is definitely similar, although, even that doesn’t quite capture it. They truly are one of a kind.
Check out the full performance of “Bohemian Rhapsody” by HarvardTHUD below.
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Source: The Harvard Undergraduate Drummers
