Awesome Street Performers

Have you ever played with one of those toys where you had to catch a ball in a cup? It takes a little practice. Now, try catching 40 of those balls in 40 cups at the same time. Thirtyz “Jaa-chan” of the Japanese Kendama performance group DEN-SHOW proves it’s possible to pull it off with one smooth move.

Most techno and industrial music is created with synthesizers and sequencers. Techno Balde performs the typically electronic genre on a random assortment of buckets, drums, and an electric guitar with a single effect pedal. The duo can be heard rocking out their high-intensity beats on the streets of Brazil. Featured video by Cuca Pimentel.

This talented street performer was spotted at an intersection in Mexico, entertaining passersby by dancing in a costume made from three large, flexible duct tubes. The more you watch it, the more you wonder which limbs are in which section.

Musician Navzad Dabu provided late-night commuters in NYC’s Metropolitan Avenue / Grand Street subway station with a phenomenal private performance. His graveyard shift concert included back-to-back covers of a dozen Radiohead tracks. We would have stood there for the whole show and missed our train.

There are different kinds of puppets, from a sock on the hand to complex marionettes controlled by strings. This street performer shows off his mastery of the latter by puppeteering a character to play the piano with a string attached to each finger. We know he’s not playing actual notes, but we’re still impressed.

After listening to a great performance by a street musician, sound engineer Marten Berger found himself inspired. He spent two years on the road, traveling across 25 countries in search of the best performers, then recorded many of them in his studio on wheels. A collection of recordings are available for sale on his website.

YouTuber Michael Boyers captured this incredible street performance by Newcastle, London musician Steve Ojay, as his fingers work some serious magic on the strings of his inexpensive Squier bass, proving that talent trumps equipment any day of the week.

Musician Miguel Montalban turns in an epic lead guitar performance on his cover version of the Dire Straits classic Sultans of Swing as he plays for a crowd of bystanders in London. His Sweet Child O’ Mine and Stairway to Heaven are equally enthralling.

Bass player America Paz sat down with fellow musician Eduardo Sitja for a street jam in Santiago, Chile, and turned in a fantastic duel showing off their funky slap bass skills. The only thing better would have been if Flea himself showed up and joined them.

Willian Lee turns in a spot-on cover version of Dire Straits’ Sultans of Swing during a street performance in São Paulo. Not only is his guitar playing excellent, he gives Mark Knopfler’s vocals a run for their money. Check out his Clapton, Orbison, Isaak, and Bee Gees too.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen this sort of act, but every time we see someone perform with these spinning rings, we can’t resist. We’re just simply too hypnotized to avoid it. Kuma Films shares some fascinating footage of the performance art known as Buugeng.

Guitarist Billy Watman turns in a fingerstyle rendition of Queen’s magnum opus which would be impressive if played by anyone, but it’s even more amazing that he’s just 14 years old and can play like this. More on Billy’s YouTube page. (Video by Tony Goode)

This street performer starts out with a solid demonstration of his pickle-tub drumming skills, but amps things up to percussion level 9000 when he busts out a lightning-fast, single-handed drumroll at the end.

Taiwanese street performer Isaac Hou demonstrates his incredible balance, strength and grace as seemingly defies the laws of physics on his rolling Cyr wheel. Filmed beautifully by Kuma Films, the track is Heart by Pistol Shrimp.

Three live tracks by this UK acoustic guitar duo starts off with Sandstorm by Darude, then moves on to Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody, and wraps with Dick Dale’s rapid-fire theme from Pulp Fiction. Their Daft Punk tribute is sublime.

This video footage of Portuguese street performer Luis Reis not only captures his impressive contact juggling skills, it does one of the best jobs we’ve ever seen of capturing what it’s like to perform in front of a live audience.