Busker goes viral covering Red Hot Chili Peppers while having no idea who is watching
Your support helps us to tell the story
This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.
The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.
Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. 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.”
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.