Jimmy Fallon And The Roots Invite Aerosmith For Classroom Instruments Performance Of 'Walk This Way'

Apr 08, 2020

Whether it’s making Kelly Clarkson sing Since U Been Gone backwards or challenging Jennifer Lopez to a dance battle, Jimmy Fallon of The Tonight Show has a creative knack for bringing out the best of his celebrity guests. So when the well-known band Aerosmith joined the host back in 2018 to perform their signature track Walk This Way with the Roots, naturally Fallon had to spice it up by requesting that they perform entirely with classroom instruments.

Without watching the video, it’s hard to imagine what that looks like — let alone what it sounds like. With 13 members total, including Fallon who plays the bass drum, Casio keyboard and the wood block, the performance takes place in a packed studio room. Between Aerosmith and The Roots’ band members, there really isn’t any extra space to move. They’re all packed like sardines, armed with a strange collection of children’s classroom instruments from rainbow colored xylophones to fruit-shaped maracas. Tuba Gooding Jr. and Black Thought of The Roots even play “shoe shakers” that look like, well, sneakers with shakers inside.

But what’s most surprising about the performance beyond the absurd collection of tiny, multicolored instruments, is that it sounds surprisingly good. Now, that isn’t to say that it’s going to win any awards. These are plastic, toy instruments, after all, so there’s a good deal of squeaking, off pitch notes and strange noises. But the popular song and its rhythm are more than recognizable. And it’s hard not to tap your foot along because what the performance does have going for it, beyond its outlandish qualities, is the energy the musicians bring to the live rendition.

Whereas you might imagine that serious musicians wouldn’t take the song seriously given the ridiculous circumstances, everyone in the group seems super engaged. That isn’t to say that they aren’t having their fun with the track — Black Thought has a grin on his face throughout the performance — but even Fallon, who isn’t a musician seems to take his part seriously. But that might be understandable given that Fallon has had practice.

The classroom instrument sessions have become a regular Fallon segment, featuring not only Aerosmith, but also bands like Backstreet Boys, Ed Sheeran, Weezer and even The Who. Luckily for us, the absurd and often hilarious format is almost always the same. A famous band or musician joins Fallon and The Roots, who serve as the show’s house band, in a small room, and they rock out with a few plastic, colorful classroom instruments.

Last month, Janet Jackson joined the show to give a classroom instruments rendition of Runaway from the pop star’s 1995 greatest hits record, according to Thrillist. The appearance came after Jackson announced a new album and a subsequent tour.

But to really see what Fallon’s classroom instruments segment is all about, it’s worth watching the videos in full, especially Aerosmith’s appearance. Steven Tyler just can't get enough of those colorful maracas. 

What do you think about Fallon's clasroom instruments series? How did Aerosmith's performance match up to the others? Let us know and pass this on to friends and family members who you know will get a kick out of this.