Epic job-site piano gig goes viral
Papamoa tradie scores internet fame for his rugged Metallica rendition
When you think of building sites, you normally think of loud machinery, power tools and banging noises. But a Papamoa tradie decided to change the tune after bringing a rundown piano to work and belting out a favourite for neighbours to enjoy.
Mr Homes Inspector director Duncan Cameron was working on a site in Papamoa on Tuesday when his contract block layer Ryan showed up with a piano on the back of his truck.
After finishing up his job, Ryan decided to treat his fellow workers and neighbours to an early morning performance — a beautiful rendition of Metallica’s Fade to Black — while wearing a beanie and gumboots on the back of a ute.
His performance was videoed and has since gone viral, with Cameron saying it’s one of the most surprising things he’s seen on a building site.
“Yesterday we showed up to a job and he had the piano on the back. It’s hard to get rid of them and because he’s such a humble guy he took it off someone’s hands who didn’t want it any more.
“I didn’t take too much notice and we carried on with the job. He asked me, ‘You like Metallica, eh? I’ve been working on this song.’ He said the piano’s a bit f***ked and was out of tune and then he jumped on and belted that out at 8am!
“It was pretty unplanned.” Cameron uploaded the video to Facebook and has since been viewed more than 22,000 times.
But Ryan’s performance didn’t end there. Later that day, Cameron said the tradie was down at Mount Maunganui busting out more performances for bystanders to enjoy.
“I called him later that day and he told me he drove down to the Mount and about 50 people stood around to watch him play. I was thinking, ‘What a f***ing legend!’.”
Locals took to Facebook to praise Ryan for his performance, with many blown away by his talents.
Cameron hopes someone who saw the video could help give the humble tradie a well-deserved opportunity.
“After I showed him the video had 22,000 views he said ‘lots of people must love piano’, not thinking it was down to his talent.”
After Ryan’s performance going viral, Mount Maunganui’s The Little Big Markets has offered the block layer his own stall to perform for customers. Ryan is expected to play from 9am on Saturday.