Have you ever watched a song or dance performance and an audience member jumps in or interrupts the act? It’s not a pleasant sight to see. But sometimes, on a rare occasion, it can actually be a blessing. That’s what happened to this high school choir when they sang in New Orleans.
In 2010, the Voice of Praise Choir from First Baptist Church in Lewisville, Texas, traveled to New Orleans to help with post-Hurricane Katrina efforts. The choir goes on a mission trip every summer, and they normally play worship songs.
On that particular day, the choir wanted to draw a crowd, so they decided to play a more mainstream song and chose “Fly Away” by Lenny Kravitz. It wasn’t a song the band and choir rehearsed together before, but they did their best.
While singing the song, suddenly a man walked toward the band and choir. He stood in the center, grooving to the song and clapping to the beat. The group looked at him curiously and couldn’t help but wonder how alike this man looked to the famous singer Lenny Kravitz. So, could it have really been him?
To everyone’s surprise, yes, it really was.
Apparently, he heard his song and came to check the choir out. But that’s not all he did. Kravitz made a request to the choir director, Kelvin Reed, and he agreed. As soon as the choir finished the song, they played it again. This time though, Kravitz joined in on the drums.
As soon as Kravitz sits down, a loud cheer can be heard. And when he starts to jam on the drums, he takes the song to another level.
Obviously the crowd watching the performance grew bigger with the presence of Kravitz, who did sing some vocals too. And when the song was done, Kravitz shook hands with the band and left.
Smeaton, who was a choir member and lead guitar player, like many of his friends, didn’t believe it was Kravitz at first.
“A lot of us had the same thought that maybe for just a second ... is this a street performer?” Smeaton shared. “You never know. It’s New Orleans.”
The whole experience was very surreal for the choir.
“It was one of the strangest things I’ve ever experienced,” Reed said. “All of my students said, ‘Kelvin, did you plan that?’ That was just one of those unique experiences.”
Kravitz’s choir-crash video has been viewed more than 3 million times to date. When you see the look on the students’ faces as Kravitz dances or when Kravitz starts to play the drums, it is pure joy. It is surely an experience no one will forget.
