Artists Who Let Their Fans Perform With Them on Stage
You have to hand it to artists who let their fans perform with them during concerts.
Inviting an adrenaline-filled stranger on stage with you is risky business. The situation only yields two equally undesirable outcomes: the star gets outshone—which, believe it or not, definitely happens—or they're stuck with a dumbstruck, panic-ridden mess on their hands.
Either way, it's always funny to watch. Find out what went down when these artists invited their fans to perform with them during live shows.
Rihanna
While performing "FourFiveSeconds" on her ANTI World Tour, Rihanna passed the mic to a fan in the crowd. Rih was visibly surprised by the fan's pipes and proceeded to have an epic facial reaction to it all.
Lil' Kim
At a 2012 concert in the Bronx, Lil' Kim shared the stage with VH1 Mob Wives star Drita D'Avanzo. D'Avanzo, who called Lil' Kim her "rap idol," proceeded to take the mic and perform "All About The Benjamins." She later tweeted about about the whole thing, attaching the above video to her tweet.
John Mayer
This fan experience could have been me, as I watched this entire scene go down at a 2010 concert in Philadelphia, but unfortunately, I neither held up a sign that read "Can I please play 'Belief' with you?" nor did I know how to play guitar. A young kid named Austin did both of these things, however, and John Mayer brought him on stage to play "Belief." Mayer even let Austin keep the guitar as a souvenir.
Demi Lovato
While in Nebraska on her Neon Lights Tour late last year, Demi Lovato sang her rendition of one of 2014's most popular songs, "Let It Go." A little someone in the crowd caught her attention and distracted the singer so much, that Demi cut her band off and addressed the girl, "You have to come up on this stage and sing with me right now." Seven-year-old Bri got up on the stage with Demi and sang the rest of the song with her.
Billy Joel
Alright, this one choked us up a little. During a Q&A at one of Joel's speaking events, a fan asked for the chance to accompany him on "New York State Of Mind." Old Bill clearly thought the guy was just being a wiseass, but brought him up to see what he could do. Turns out the kid has major chops!
Michael Bublé
While attending a Michael Bublé concert, the world's most assertive mom ever somehow got Bublé to pause his set to level with her about letting her son, Sam, who had just turned 15, perform "Feeling Good" with him. Bublé caved, let Sam join him on stage, and was shocked when the teen proved that he could actually sing.
Josh Groban
Josh Groban called out a fan, also named Josh, during what appears to have been either a raffle or a question-answer portion of his concert. Fan Josh, who shares both a first name and birthday with Groban, requested to sing with him on stage. After assessing Fan Josh's qualifications, Groban invited him up to sing "The Prayer." The two, who also have similar voices, performed the song as a duet.
Green Day
Green Day has a history of inviting fans to perform with them, but one concert in particular turned into "cute little kid time" when Billie Joe Armstrong asked a young fan to join him on stage. "Get your ass up here. Let's go," Armstrong told the kid, who took Armstrong's electric guitar, sat down on one of the amps, and shredded his way through "Jesus Of Suburbia."
Metallica
Via a banner he made himself, a Metallica fan asked Lars Ulrich to let him play on stage for his birthday. He got his way, as birthdays seem to be a soft spot for many artists, and played the drums for the opening of "Seek & Destroy."
Avenged Sevenfold
In another case of sign-bearing fans, Avenged Sevenfold invited an audience member up on stage for a drum-off. The fan, named Miguel, requested to play "Second Heartbeat," and play he did—with the band, of course.
Paramore
Hayley Williams, fairy godmother that she is, will grant your wish of playing with Paramore if you ask her nicely enough. At a meet and greet before the show, a concert goer named Will told Hayley he knew how to play all of their songs on guitar. Hayley responded by letting Will play "Misery Business" with the band once the show started.
U2
While touring in Nashville, tireless humanitarian Bono invited a fan on stage to play guitar for U2. According to the video, the man was blind, and by the looks of it, Bono may have even let him keep the guitar.
Steel Panther
A fan got his wish to engage in a drum duel with Stix Zadinia when he was singled out during a Steel Panther concert. The man rushed on stage, took his place at the drum set, and was so eager to play that Michael Starr had to tell him to calm down.