Did you ever compete in any talent shows when you were in high school?
If you did, good for you. Peer pressure is real and having the confidence to perform in front of the school is nerve-racking.
You’re either applauded or ridiculed for the rest of the year.
Although it definitely takes plenty of courage, there’s something thrilling about showing off your personality and your skills before all of your classmates and colleagues.
For the most part, people know what to expect from one of those talent shows: someone gets up with their friends to do a dance, someone tells jokes and so on.
No matter what it is, these shows break up the monotony of the school day.
Still, the performance from one young man definitely stole the show.
The video we’re talking about was posted online in April, 2013.
It was uploaded by a channel called Mile Higher Boys.
The performance actually took place at a Bennett High School talent show, and it all begins with a cheering crowd and a young man walking across the stage.
Now here’s a guy with real fortitude!
From the very beginning, it’s clear that this will be an unusual performance.
The young man is dressed in overalls and a straw hat and he walks across the stage barefoot. In his hand is an electric banjo.
Well that’s not something they expected.
When he gets to the other side of the stage, he sits down and grabs the microphone to address the audience.
From the very beginning, he tells the crowd that he has to share a couple of words with them.
Right away, he speaks in an exaggerated country accent and the entire crowd is cracking up.
As he explains, he’s going to play a few songs on the banjo for everyone and he hopes that they enjoy them.
You know, they probably will!
At the end of it all, he says that he’s a hillbilly and he’s proud—and everyone cheers. He ain’t no city boy that’s for sure!
Finally, he plugs his instrument in and begins to play.
And wow did this hillbilly blow everyone’s minds.
Although the entire set up was a joke, his playing definitely isn’t!
Once he’s all set up, he starts plucking out a beautiful melody on the banjo.
Though it starts off slowly, he gradually picks up speed and adds in more notes, making the audience cheer right along with him.
This is something they’ve never seen before and they were in for a treat!
Although it doesn’t sound particularly “country” at first, he gradually adds in more plucky notes—and picks up speed even more.
Normally, you’d think Jimi Hendrix, or Eric Clapton, maybe even Slash or Paul Gilbert.
But this is a freakin’ banjo!
Before long, it’s a full-speed race up and down the neck of the banjo.
Even so, the notes sound great and the whole audience watches him in awe!
As he gets in his rhythm, he plays the first song beautifully—but there’s still more to do.
After the first song ends, he starts into another plucky banjo that’s even faster than the first!
Just as with the first, he shows that he’s definitely got some chops on the banjo—and the whole crowd agrees.
Now I don’t know about you but this is super impressive.
When it’s all over, the crowd gives him a big round of applause.
Needless to say, the banjo is a unique-sounding instrument that we don’t hear much of in modern music anymore. Especially in a world dominated by computer controlled sounds. Everything is artificial.
Even so, this young man decided to do a tribute to the instrument and to the bluegrass genre in general—and it was a huge hit.
Although the crowd that day loved it, it also earned itself nearly 15 million views on YouTube!
If nothing else, clips like this one remind us of an easier time in life when we were a little younger.
And this guy from the country is a reminder of simpler days gone by. Where playing outside was way more fun than being consumed by social media and gadgets.
Congratulations to this courageous banjo player for committing to the bit!
Be sure to watch the whole thing in the link below:
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