A busker unwittingly found himself going viral when footage emerged of him performing Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Otherside in front of an audience of one: Chad Smith.
You can see here that the drummer, now revealed to be one Armond Davis, is in the moment, whilst settled on the concrete just feet away is Smith who is quietly taking in the performance.
@joeymccarthyy ♬ original sound - Joey McCarthy
“Who wants to tell him?” remarked a passerby who recorded the encounter on his phone, comparing the situation to “shooting hoops in front of Michael Jordan without realizing it.”
Many were amazed that the drummer didn’t recognize the rock legend watching him. One commenter noted, “Just casually playing for one of the best drummers.” Another added, “Bro has one man listening but still the biggest audience.”
Whilst another insisted, “There’s no way he’s playing an RHCP song and didn’t notice the only dude sitting watching him was Chad Smith himself.”
Some people commented on the honour of having an acclaimed musician appreciating one’s talent. One person posted, “The fact that Chad Smith is just sitting there vibing is about the biggest compliment you could ask for. Bro, good job.”
Another chimed in, “Chad Smith is an excellent drummer himself, so seeing him bobbing his head while you play the drums is the biggest compliment.” A third added, “This is how you know Chad Smith is just a pure music lover.”
So did the drummer find out in the end? Yes, he did. The person who shot the footage said “I had to let the drummer know, of course. Once I showed him the video, I took him to where Chad was.”
UPDATE: Eventually responding in his own video (below), Armand Davis revealed he was the unwitting performer. "I am the drummer that played in front of Chad Smith. Honestly, as a street performer sometimes we have incredibly slow days and that was one of them.
"I played at least five songs back-to-back and I got zero attention. So after a little I just zoned out into the music. By the time I was halfway done with Otherside I realised somebody was sitting in front of me and he had really good energy.
"He was bobbing his head and I could tell he had to be a drummer because he had good subdivision with his feet. He looked familiar but I just couldn't quite put my finger on it at the time."
@iamarmonddavis ♬ original sound - Armond
Maybe one of the reasons Smith was so appreciative was that he has recent-ish experience of being in the busker’s shoes.
In 2016, as part of a photoshoot for Rhythm magazine the Chili Pepper astonished Londoners that summer by turning up and performing on a tiny kit with a friend round town.
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