The Wellington drummer who was pulled on stage to play with The Killers twice hopes he can meet the band properly in the near future.
Taylor Johnston, 22, lined up for The Killers concert at Spark Arena for hours yesterday to get the perfect spot in the front row - with the hopes that he might be invited up on stage to play a song.
He’d managed to pull it off four years earlier in 2018 at The Killers show in Wellington, when he was invited to play the drums with his idols.
He held up a sign that read, “I’m Taylor from Wellington. Can I drum For Reasons Unknown” for the entire concert last night, hoping he’d catch the eye of frontman Brandon Flowers.
Taylor Johnston pulled off a perfect rendition of The Killers sing For Reasons Unknown when he was invited onstage to play with the band at last night's concert at Spark Arena. (Source: 1News)
Just as the concert seemed it would come to a close without the song being played, Johnston was pulled from the crowd and took over the drums from Ronnie Vannucci.
He played the song without a single mistake, even syncing up to lighting cues - by the end of the song, he had a standing ovation.
Initially, he didn’t think it would happen again, and it took a bit of pushing from the crowd to convince the band.
“It didn’t look like they were gonna do the song; we had to kinda egg him on a bit,” Johnston told 1News.
“The people around me started to chant, they were rallying - then I could see [the band] all smiling at each other and were like, ‘yeah alright, get up here'.”
To many in the audience, Johnston's phenomenal performance almost felt too perfect, especially since his 2018 appearance.
“I never thought it would happen again,” Taylor told 1News.
He said the moment was an “out-of-body experience”.
“The adrenaline and the dopamine was pumping; I got back in the crowd, my band was there waiting for me, and I sorta collapsed into them, and then we just rode out the rest of the concert,” Johnston said.
Johnston, who drums for Wellington-based band Holloway, said he’s used to playing for crowds of just over 100 people, a massive contrast to the 12,000-capacity Spark Arena.
He said that he wanted his performance to be perfect, as those in attendance were watching The Killers, not him.
“If I’m gonna do it, I need to make sure I’m doing it right - and not to toot my own horn, but I think I did,” he said.
Johnston was given a pair of drumsticks that he could use to remember the night forever.
He told 1News that if a third encounter with The Killers was to take place, he’d want to meet them properly and hang out.
“I’d love to meet them and talk to them properly - I’ve got a lot to thank them for,” he said.
“I’m so proud of him,” his dad told 1News.
Johnston's band was formed after his 2018 appearance and is a love letter to The Killers. He even has a tattoo of the band.
"If you need a band to open for you contact us," he said.
The next band that Johnston would like to make a surprise appearance for is for 2000s rock band My Chemical Romance.
"It would be a dream come true."
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