Killers Fan, 17, Shows Off Drumming Skills While Playing with Band in Surprise Performance

The Killers welcomed a special guest to the stage during the Riptide Music Festival in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Saturday.

During the show, 17-year-old Jayson Verebay caught the attention of lead singer Brandon Flowers by holding up a sign asking to play on stage with the band.

With help from the crowd of 35,000, Flowers fulfilled Verebay’s wish and allowed him to join them on stage. As the crowd erupted in cheers, the teenager took Ronnie Vannucci Jr.’s spot behind the drums to join in for the band’s hit song “For Reasons Unknown.”

The sweet moment, which was captured by Rolling Stone editor Tim Chan and shared to Twitter, saw the crowd go wild and chant Verebay’s name as he rocked out on stage with the famous band.

In an interview with Rolling Stone after his impressive performance, Verebay admitted that his “heart was pounding” and he “was actually shaking” when he ventured onto the stage.

“It was the most mind-boggling experience ever,” he said.

Verebay also said that Vannucci Jr. is one of his heroes and that he’s been preparing for a moment like this to happen for a long time.

“I know that the band’s played this song before and I’ve just been practicing to live versions of it for the past month,” Verebay said. “But I didn’t think it would actually happen for me. I thought I would forget everything, but I got it down.”

“This is something I’ve been dreaming about for a long time,” Verebay added. “It was the most incredible experience and I’m still speechless.”

According to Rolling Stone, Riptide was the band’s first concert in South Florida in over two years. Their performance came just days after they announced their sixth studio album, Imploding the Mirage, would be released in the spring of 2020.