Chad Smith Walks In on Thirty Seconds to Mars' Shannon Leto Playing Chili Peppers Hit on Drums

Drumeo’s “For the First Time” series has become a regular hit on YouTube, largely thanks to a viral edition featuring Red Hot Chili Peppers ’ Chad Smith taking on the challenge of playing Thirty Seconds to Mars ’ “The Kill (Bury Me).”

That clip, which saw Smith absolutely crushing the drums on the song after hearing it for the first time ever (minus the drum track), has amassed 28 million views since it premiered in 2023. Two years later, Thirty Seconds to Mars drummer Shannon Leto recently paid a visit to the Drumeo studio.

Not only was Leto tasked with his own “For the First Time” challenge with the Alter Bridge song “Metalingus,” he was also asked to play along to a drumless version of Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “By the Way.” It was during that latter performance that Chad Smith