Kid's Cymbal Crashes To Floor During Performance But His 'Recovery' Has People Applauding

Oct 05, 2021

Performing live is nerve-wracking for even the most experienced performers, but undoubtedly more so for kids still in high school. Anyone who ever participated in a theater class or the school band will know this. 

What's most scary about live performances is that anything can happen, which includes things going wrong. And although a mishap might not happen every time, things inevitably do go awry pretty frequently. Depending on the incident, the moment can be recovered and the crowd might not even know that anything happened. But in other cases, it's incredibly obvious, so the only thing to do is recover in a way that doesn't exacerbate the problem. Thankfully for all of us, one high school band member perfectly demonstrated how to save a performance when you suffer a slip-up.

In the video of the incident, which was posted in 2013, the boy, who plays the cymbals, can be seen standing alongside his peers. The band is performing the US national anthem at the EJH Red & White concert and things start off well. While others in the band are playing notes constantly, he is in charge of crashing his cymbals together once every few bars.

After about seven or so crashes of the cymbals, the boy is completely shocked when the cymbal in his right hand falls on the ground loudly without warning. His face says it all — he instantly looks down gobsmacked, no doubt looking at the cymbal trail away and stop on the floor. But it's what he does next that saved the moment and earned him the respect of not only his peers but also the public.

Instead of running after the lost cymbal or frantically making a scene while all of his band members continue to play the national anthem, the boy decides to put down the other cymbal that he's still holding onto, turn slightly to his left to face the US flag and salute. It's a simple gesture but one that speaks for itself. 

Not only did the boy recover from the cymbal incident without disrupting the rest of the band, but he also managed to show off his national pride at the same time. And his move drew more than a few smiles from fellow band members, so we can only imagine how much the audience loved it.

People on the internet loved it too, with the video now viewed over 10.9 million times! The comments on the video are just as encouraging, with one user writing:

“Congrats kid, you handled that like a boss! Saluting the flag was exactly what you should have done. All performers have moments like this. All that matters is how you handle it.”

Another called him an "American hero," while one person declared it the "best recovery in the history of live performance." There's no denying the move was not only an impressive save but it elevated the entire performance. What could have been a very standard high school band rendition of the national anthem turned into a thrilling, patriotic and comedic moment that people the world over have enjoyed.

So next time something potentially embarrassing happens to you in front of others, think about how you can channel this cymbal player and turn things around completely!

What did you think of this high school boy's recovery? Have you ever witnessed a similar situation where someone recovered from something embarrassing? Pass this on to others so they can enjoy it too!