Lollapalooza, one of the largest music festivals in the United States, draws hundreds of thousands to Chicago’s Grant Park every August for a four-day celebration of music. While many attendees come to watch their favorite artists, one Mac student took the stage himself.
Oscar Reza Bautista ’27 was invited by The Killers to join them on drums during their performance. This opportunity was not a coincidence; Reza Bautista had been preparing for his live debut for quite some time.
With a background in music, Reza Bautista played piano and synth in a high school band at UWC Atlantic, often pushing the group to perform songs by The Killers. However, he had never played a drum set before.
The Killers, Reza Bautista’s favorite band, have a tradition of inviting fans on stage to play drums for their song “For Reasons Unknown.” Upon learning that The Killers would be performing at Lollapalooza near his summer job at Macalester, he dedicated himself to learning the song.
“In my mind, it was just funny,” he recalled. “[I thought] ‘oh it would be hilarious if I just go onstage and play the drums and play the full song.’”
Over the next two months, he practiced on a well-loved drum kit at Macalester, arranging the drums and cymbals to suit his comfort. He progressed from mimicking the album version to filling in the percussion part on a drumless track.
Finally, the day arrived. Reza Bautista arrived at Lollapalooza two hours early, sprinting to the front of the stage where The Killers would perform. After a mile, he secured a front-row spot.
Twelve hours later, during The Killers’ set, Reza Bautista needed to catch their attention. With preparation in Macalester’s Idea Lab, he created a sign that read “Can I Drum?” styled like the “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign, a nod to the band’s hometown.
His sign worked.
“Your sign is better than [that other fan’s],” lead vocalist Brandon Flowers remarked from the stage. “But are you confident? There’s 100,000 people out here. You ready for it? You’re not gonna play slow and quiet? All right, let him up.”
Security escorted Reza Bautista backstage, where he soon found himself face-to-face with Flowers.
“From there on, everything is kind of a blur, which is unfortunate,” he said. “But I remember how it felt. No words can describe what I was feeling.”
He vividly recalls the mix of excitement and nerves while performing with his favorite band. Though he had played in front of crowds before, none were as large as Lollapalooza.
“What many people ask me is ‘did you look back at the crowd, and how did it feel?’” he said. “I looked once at the crowd and had to instantly look back at the drums.”
Reza Bautista decided to embrace his inner drummer, declaring confidence that paid off. On stage, he grinned, sang along, and played at a level far beyond his two months of experience.
Since his performance, Reza Bautista has been affectionately dubbed “Oscar from Chicago” by Flowers. Friends back home teased him about this, surprised he even knew how to play the drums. In interviews, he clarified that he studies at Macalester and hails from Tijuana, Mexico, not Chicago.
His experience at Lollapalooza has followed him back to Macalester, where classmates ask if he is “Oscar from Chicago.” Ironically, his summer housemate, a recent Mac graduate, was unaware of Reza Bautista’s mission until he saw the viral performance videos, exclaiming, “I think that’s my roommate.”
Reza Bautista’s best friend from high school, Ayman Raakin, summed up his experience: “[He] did it because [he] thought it was funny, but [he] just broke the expectations of most musicians [his] age.”
He continues to practice drums, now incorporating other rock songs into his repertoire, particularly those by The Killers. Reza Bautista also considers adding new instruments to his collection while maintaining his piano and synth skills. He encourages fellow Mac students to join him in music discussions and play together.
