John Mayer recruited Questlove to fill in for his drummer during his concert in Madison Square Garden in New York on Monday night.
The singer announced on Twitter before the concert that his drummer Steve Ferrone had tested positive for Covid-19 so he would be performing a reworked show.
According to People, Mayer revealed his background vocalist Carlos Ricketts was also absent because of the virus at the start of the concert. He then proceeded to play the majority of the gig acoustic, before surprising the audience with an unexpected appearance from Questlove, who played the drums during the finale.
Sharing snaps from the concert on Instagram, Mayer thanked The Roots musician for helping out at such short notice and the audience for showing “enthusiasm and energy in the face of some disappointing news”.
“My boundless appreciation goes out to the legendary @questlove, who stepped in on an hour’s notice to help end the show on such a powerful and definitive note,” he wrote. “The brilliant musicians in this band stepped up in ways that I will never forget, and will bond us forever.
“The next couple of tour stops will feature this format (minus the very otherwise-engaged @questlove) and I will devote every moment to making sure we bring you the best show we can.”
Questlove shared on Instagram that he was planning to attend the show as a guest and he was “scared” about replacing his “idol”.
“I checked my phone: ‘Ferrone got covid, can you sit in?'” he recalled in the caption. “Truth be told I coulda played the whole show… I was anxious, amped, timorous, excited, scared & hyped!! Gotta say once onstage it was gravy. I haven’t played with this combo since the @rootspicnic in nyc 2013 w D’angelo & we haven’t lost a step. It was hella fun tonight!”
Mayer’s tour continues in Washington D.C. on Wednesday.
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