Arran man Sam Hirschfield performs with The Killers at Hydro

Sam Hirschfield was one of 14,300 people who packed into the Glasgow venue to watch The Killers perform on their Rebel Diamonds tour.

As a massive fan of the American rock band it was far from his first gig, but it's safe to say this time around was a little different.

That was because Sam, a care home cook and part time drummer, was invited on to the stage and performed with the band.

Sam with the band. (Image: Submitted)

The Killers, consisting of Brandon Flowers, Dave Keuning, Ronnie Vannucci Jr and Mark Stoermer, often invite a fan on to the stage to play the drums when they perform For Reasons Unknown from their second album Sam's Town.

By his own admission, Sam has tried to be that lucky fan on three occasions previously, to no avail.

He explained: “That was my fourth time trying to do this.

“I tried in 2022 when they were playing in Falkirk, and I had no luck. Last year I tried in Edinburgh, and again no luck.

“On Tuesday night I went to see them and I held up my sign the whole time. The singer noticed me but they didn’t play the song.

“On Wednesday I knew they were going to play the song, but that doesn’t mean they are going to bring someone up – it just means you have a chance.

“Sometimes they don’t bring anyone up, sometimes they do, sometimes they bring people up and they boot them off because they are not that good, so all that was going through my head.”

But his dream became a reality after catching the eye of lead singer Flowers.

Sam added: “I stuck to my guns and I held my sign up the whole time. The song started and lo and behold Brandon Flowers looked around and he comes over to me.

“He was like ‘are you ready, is this what you want to do?’, and I was like 'yeah'.

“He asked if I was nervous to perform in front of all of these people. Looking around a sold out Hydro is no mean feat, it was quite something.

“But he said 'right, come up, let’s do it'.”

And if the footage of the moment is anything to go by, it's fair to say that Sam nailed it.

Sam was well prepared, though, because he and his bandmates in Dark White Arran have played the song, "because I knew one day this could happen".

He continued: “Getting up there and speaking to the guys – I can’t even process it.

“But when I get up there and sat at the drums I said to myself 'let’s forget about everything, I’ve got a job to do here'.

“At the end of the day I’m a musician myself. When you’re on stage there’s a job to do and you’ve got to do it well.

“I looked at everyone and thought in my head, I had no time to be nervous, people have paid to come and see this."

Despite Sam's focus on his performance, he did admit he had one chance to savour the moment.

He added: “I zoned out and just focussed on what I was doing, but in the middle of the song there is a breakdown where it goes quiet.

"At that point everyone started screaming and the sound hit me.

“I almost broke down in tears. I can’t even put into words what was going on in my head.”

Sam performing on stage. (Image: Submitted)

Also a drummer for the tribute band Noel Gallagher's High Flying Carpets, Sam has played in front of thousands before, at venues like Bowlers Exhibition Centre in Manchester and Prenton Park in Birkenhead.

But he conceded nothing could prepare him for a capacity Hydro crowd.

“You know sometimes when you hear a loud noise and your brain stops working?" he said.

"It was like that. But imagine that noise was for you - 14,000 people screaming and clapping for you. 

"I can’t put it into words honestly.”

And the experience has left the Arran man looking for more, having now had a taste of what could be.

He added: “The band were really nice, asking if I was feeling okay and ready to do this.

“Afterwards they were congratulating me and saying they were really happy and loved it. If the drummer is ever sick, you never know!

“I’m 23 years old so I’ve still got possibilities ahead of me. But having that snippet, and people saying they loved it, or their kids wanted to learn the drums after watching it, means so much.

“It’s more than just a job, you are inspiring people.”

For now, though, Sam says he's just "buzzing to get back to Arran and talk to people about it".