Photos by Maximilian Ho

It was a spectacular night for the drum aficionados in attendance at Guitar Center’s 27th Annual Drum-Off. Finalists Hilario Bell, Jonathan Burks, Luis Burgos Jr, Brandon Zackey, and Tony Taylor, Jr. competed on the Club Nokia stage for this year’s title, $25,000 in cash plus an assortment of gear and perks. There were artist performances by Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters), Mike Mangini (Dream Theater) Robert Sput Searight (Snarky Puppy, Ghost-Note), Clyde Stubblefield (James Brown), and Gil Sharone (Marilyn Manson, Team Sleep). The late musician and drum product company founder Vic Firth was inducted into Guitar Center’s Hollywood Rockwalk. Red Hot Chili Peppers’ drummer Chad Smith showed up to introduce session drummer Jim Keltner to the audience before Keltner pressed his hands in cement. At the end of the night, host Gregg Bissonette (David Lee Roth, Joe Satriani) announced Tony Taylor, Jr. from Matteson, Illinois as the winner of this year’s competition.