Busker goes viral covering Red Hot Chili Peppers while having no idea who his audience is

‘Bro has one man listening but still the biggest audience’ said one person

Greg Evans
Wednesday 30 October 2024 08:53 EDT
Comments
Red Hot Chili Peppers perform in 1984

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A busker has gone viral for being completely unaware that he was performing in front of one of the members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers while playing one of their songs.

Buskers have had various interactions with famous musicians as of late, with Coldplay’s Chris Martin and Kelly Clarkson all acknowledging street performers.

The talented drummer, who has been viewed more than 49 million times on TikTok, was filmed jamming away on Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade to a rendition of the band’s 1999 hit song ‘Otherside’ from the album Californication.

As the camera pans out we see none other than the Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer, Chad Smith, chilling out and appreciating the drummer’s cover of his track.

However, the drummer is completely in the zone and doesn’t appear to notice that Smith is sitting right in front of him.

The person who captured the moment, captioned the video, writing “Who wants to tell him?” The person also added in the description of the video: “Imagine shooting hoops in front of Michael Jordan and not even realising it?”

Many were astonished that the busker didn’t look up and notice Smith but could only see it as a compliment to how well he was playing.

One person in the comments wrote: “The fact that Chad Smith is just sitting there vibing is just about the biggest compliment you could ask for bro good job”

A second person said: “Chad Smith just vibing and enjoying someone playing. 10/10.”

A third added: “Bro has one man listening but still the biggest audience.”

Members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers from left to right, Flea, Chad Smith, and John Frusciante perform during the Global Citizen Festival on Sept. 23, 2023
Members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers from left to right, Flea, Chad Smith, and John Frusciante perform during the Global Citizen Festival on Sept. 23, 2023 (AP)

The drummer himself, Armond Davis, has since shared the video on his TikTok and admitted that he didn’t know that Smith was watching him.

Davis explained: “Yesterday, I played ‘Otherside’ by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and halfway through, I noticed someone really vibing which isn’t unusual. But when I finished, a few people told me I’d just played for Chad Smith, the drummer of RHCP. Hearing him say I sounded good on a track he’s known for? Completely surreal. I can’t wait to see where this journey takes me next!”

It comes just a few months after the Red Hot Chili Peppers performed at the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics ahead of the games heading to Los Angeles in 2028. Other guest performers at the ceremony included Tom Cruise, Snoop Dogg, Dr Dre and Billie Eilish.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in