KSHB 41 reporter Tod Palmer covers sports business and eastern Jackson County, including Independence. Share your story idea with Tod.
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No pressure, but three weeks after it was formed, the KC Elite Drum Squad is performing for FIFA World Cup 26 crowds at Arrowhead Stadium — er, Kansas City Stadium.
FIFA initially reached out to Tyree Johnson after he founded the Kansas City Drum Academy in early May. The youth drum line is hosted at the Mutual Musician's Foundation in the 18th and Vine Jazz District.
"They were looking particularly for a drum line that can come out there and hype the people up," Johnson said.
But FIFA required the drumline to be made up entirely of adults — a challenge Johnson was prepared to meet.
"I said, ‘Well, we might have missed this opportunity, but we won't miss another one,’” he said. “So, I called up a bunch of guys, they called up some guys, and we all put this drum line together.”
When FIFA called again in early June, they were ready.
"That's the best, the name of the game, just to be ready," said Kansas City Drum Academy coach Paul Johnson.
Although, the process wasn't easy.
“Insurance policies, $5 million insurance policies, background checks — it was just a very lengthy process,” Tyree Johnson said. “All the way from information on each player, I had to get a bio, just the whole nine yards. It was really, really extensive, but the opportunity was worth it.”
The squad performed before the Ecuador-Curaçao match last Saturday, an electric moment for the squad.
"The adrenaline was definitely pumping,” Tyree Johnson said. “It's those moments right before things are about to happen where you're like, 'Oh, this is real, this is about to go down.’”
Squad member James Ogutu said the setting, with joyful fans from across the globe dancing and cheering, was unforgettable.
"Arrowhead is like one of the most electric places in America, so them bringing the energy from their countries to here, it just felt so natural," he said.
Rather than feel nervous, Ogutu said he was energized.
"It's just exciting more than anything, feeling the electricity in the room," Ogutu said.
Squad member Makeeta Moore didn’t get to perform last weekend, but he’s eager to be part of future performances. The KC Elite Drum Squad is scheduled to perform during the Netherlands-Tunisia match on Thursday and the Algeria-Austria match on Saturday at Arrowhead Stadium.
"When this opportunity came, it was very sudden, and I'm so grateful for the opportunity because this is — this is crazy,” he said.
How crazy? It might be the coolest thing he’s done in his life.
"This is probably number one, obviously,” Moore said. “Yeah, this is definitely number one at this current moment in life.”
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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