Professional Drummer REACTS Michael Jacksons Drummer Jonathan Moffett Smooth Criminal 

Sugarfoot's pocket is so deep he needs a yardstick to find his wallet.

I read somewhere that he has his cymbals so high so he can see Michael on stage and watch his physical queues.

I think that what is most astounding is that he was interviewed at Drumeo before this set and said he hadn't played it in over 10 years and was hoping he could remember it. Sure, muscle memory is so important but this is on another level. If anyone ever asks what the pocket means, just play this track.

He told a story about how he first auditioned. He went to LA and it wasn't working. Went home. His friend that stayed out there recommended him. He went out to audition and Randy Jackson was there cuz he was in the band. Moffett said Randy kept coming over to look at what he was doing while he was playing and then start laughing. He thought he bombed the audition. Then Randy Jackson told him how the song had 3 drum tracks cuz their drummer couldn't do it all in one take but Moffett just banged it out by ear never knowing it was 3 layers. Sufficed to say, he got the job lol.

MJ was dancing when not singing so Moffett had to keep the main beat going for the dancers. Also why he is perfect for this because he is so crisp and precise.

reminds me of Bruce Lee's quote 'I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times." Sugarfoot mastered his art to a perfection. Ain't nobody who can do better than what he does.

Mike switched most members of his band some background singers and dancers for his last upcoming this is it tour. But he knew why he kept Jonathan from the late 70's all the way to 2009!!!!!

You gotta watch him play "Jam" next chance you get. Same context, him at Drumeo...he hits both back cymbals up behind him and mutes them right after. It's sick...lol. He's also from New Orleans. Shoutout to my home boy.

Long live MJ's music! That break, where Jonathan didn't overplay during the solo.. he made it synchopated with the guitar.. perfect.

Love this video. This is a great example that today's drummer is becoming aware of what the drummers job is again. In the last 10 years or so, drummers are essentially playing for themselves and other drummers. Not many focus on time and sitting in the pocket as almost every bar is a drum solo bar now. The drums are to lay down a solid foundation for the rest of the band to follow, keep the band together, keep the listener on the same page with the band, and play solid time to allow the lead vocalist to be the lead vocalist and not play over them. The licks are supposed to be to setup a change, highlight a punch or build/breakdown the music. In this case, we have to remember that Mike was a show man and was dancing all over the place and he moved based off a solid drum feel. Sugarfoot understood that and played simply with many cymbal crash coinciding with something that Mike was doing on stage (raising the cymbals was a showmanship thing--being an entertainer). Remember, Mike was the star not Sugarfoot, so as a drummer, you could never think about showing your stuff on Mike's show. It was all about allowing Mike to be Mike and make sure you did everything possible to make Mike look and sound good. Thar's why Sugarfoot plays simply and solid and sits in the pocket, which is also why he played with the Jackson's, Madonna, Cameo and Elton John to name a few. We used to call that type of playing being a working drummer, now it is considered that you're not good because you're not shinning on someone else's gig that you were hired for. :) of course there are different areas of music that require tons of playing, but the majority require the drummer to be leader with a supportive mindset. Once again, great video!

He was Michael's main source of rhythm and had to rely on him to not only keep the song on track, but his dancers and himself while dancing. I would also not be surprised if his flourishes would have been incorporated with something from Michael on stage.

I'm not a drummer (guitarist)...but this groove does not seem like it would be easy to really 'get right'. I've watched Sugarfoot videos for over a year, and he's just phenomenal.

I absolutely love seeing your enthusiasm and love for drumming. And your commentary is always so insightful. Also, this question is from my mom: “when is that drum guy gonna react to more Pentatonix and Homefree?” Your lesson on tension and release really stuck with her. You gave her the language for what she experiences when listening to certain songs, so she’s been a fan of you ever since.

man looks like he is both relaxed and in his element and playing for his life at the same time.

What some people might have missed was that his kick was always in time with the bass part. No matter what his hands were doing, the bass drum was almost always on the bass line. Also, using nylon tips reduces the "click" when the stick hits the cymbal. What you get is more of the cymbal sound, and his choice of crash sounds is interesting. They seem (to me) to be higher towards the front, and a little lower towards the back, but that might just be my impression. What he doesn't do is use the tips on the HH. It's shaft only, And his use of the HH pedal is a masterclass.

Three seconds into him drumming and immediate stank face. That’s the ultimate compliment for a musician.

Love him, such a great Drummer and a nice person. Great reaction.

dont think ive ever heard a drummer so perfectly on the beat

He couldn't ride w/ Michael if he wasn't nasty. Amazing!

I’m not a drummer, found this channel via the reaction you did to pneuma by Danny Carey. I’ve always been fascinated by drummers, it seems like magic the way you keep time even on easier to play songs. Watching your videos is like watching my favorite drummers play but with a friend who is a drum teacher and can explain the techniques that have always kept me mystified. Awesome that I found this channel AND that you’ve done reactions on tons of the videos I’ve already watched before finding u. Now I can see behind the veil a bit haha

2:43 You're correct, dude. He started touring with The Jacksons at the end of the 70s. The dude is a beast.

Sugarfoot was Michael's dance partner, the harder he played, the harder Michael danced. Too cold! #KingOfPopForever 👑💜👑💜

What gets me every time i watch him do this, watch him zero in when it starts getting close to "go" time. Everything just stops and he focuses. His timing is also something that is just startling. He never pushes nor pulls, he's just on the beat. Crazy good.

That snare sound is ORGASMIC. sorry i donnt knnow any other word to use. Every god damn hit

His timing is so perfect. even after all these years!

This guy is amazing and seems like he has a better timing than an atomic clock🔥🔥🔥

The "go nuts" part is not about a drum solo but about the coolest dance choreography of the era on the front of the stage. It was all about Michael. All other's task was assistance.

Thanks for pointing out the absolute BANGER snare hits on MJ's WOO's. It's easy to miss, like a backing track to an iconic film scene. When it reaches the next level, you no longer hear it and can only feel it.

Michael added a lot to his songs, he improvised his lyrics with a lot of beatbox like adlips of which some became quite popular. Like Jimi Hendrix he had an orchestral vision of the arrangements and this drummer gets this certain punch perfectly. I am enjoying this a lot.

We must remember that he played for Michael Jackson. Nobody is coming for YOU. MJ is the headline. SugarFoot's drumming compliments MJ to a T.

Super video! Greetings from The Netherlands

I think one of the things is a lot of drummers might be good at live performances but are not good in the studio with accuracy and repeatability is key. Jonathan Moffett can play in the studio and in front of 100,000 people and it sounds like the album.

That snare is a dry slap in the face! Love this.

This Drummer is amazing and i really loves how he "chokes" his cimbals?!?!? right at the end of the song, its so fast, playing them but allmost in same time, choking them.. If you not know what i mean, watch it again, right in the second the song stops.... thats fast and incredible..

MJ didn't just picked him from a bunch of other drummers. MJ knew sugarfoot since the Jackson's five

mj liked to perform his songs just as they were recorded, sugarfoot played like the album.

He would sit with you he’s such a lovely guy I’ve seen many of his interviews

Just a little ways into the vid, and this dude is a machine!

Imagine being so good the metronome comes to you for a time check

That solo is for MJ to do dance off so Sugarfoot knows he's there to support MJ - not steal the show 😊

Awesome reaction! Please react to Jonathan Moffett playing Jam on Drumeo. Mindblowing!!! I'd love to see your face watching that one!

Only 56 comments?! What's going on here? Rollin on my third binge video so far...very enjoyable content my man!

MJ shows were very, very tightly choreographed with lots of dancing, pyro, lights, and stagecraft. So the drummer can't shred over the music like in most rock shows. And these songs were mostly recorded with drum machines so Moffett had to do his own live interpretations while, at the same time, keeping the tightest pocket possible to lead the choreography. And NO SHREDDING or showing off. MJ is the star. Just do your job. People talk about how simple these songs are to play. Really??? Try doing it exactly like that (EXACTLY the same way each time) for 2 1/2 hours per night, playing 30+ songs each show, and doing that over a 150-city international tour. Moffett did this sooooo well that he has been hand-picked by other superstars like Madonna, Janet Jackson, Elton John, and many others. Moffett is an absolute beast masterclass!!

Michael is the solo feature in this piece, so Sugarfoot built up for Mike to step up.

His snare play is God on point. Very rare.

He was hitting those notes after 10 years without even notes.thats how BADASS he is😏✌️💪

That choke was criminal 9:00

Michael Jackson was Jonathan Moffett singer.

Moffett’s statement from his first note is “sweet hyper-precision”, and we knew it by the way you said, “Oh, GOD...!” Lmao THAT is why everybody watches professionals react to professionals. Have you heard of Gene Hoglan yet? Metal drummer who has been around for 30 years. “The Atomic Clock”. Famously self taught. That will probably stand out to you. Also famously: he doesn’t play for the audience - he plays for the drummers in the audience! He figures that if he can make the drummers say “Holy Shit!”, then he will have the entire audience

A veteran drummer would tell you two things that sets sugarfoot apart from the rest. 1. The synchronization of kick and bass 2. His timing is almost as near as computer generated, which is frightening

Oh you have _got_ to watch him do Jam. He has a sequence called Kung Fu that's the most stupendous, amazing, incredible showmanship of all time!

I had similar thoughts when I watched him. But here's what I think really why he chooses much of what he played for Jackson was because this man is what I would a call The money ticket Right he is a big money ticket drummer he is no slouch whatsoever God bless dude.

An absolute masterclass of drumming

It's Michael Jackson's friend and was his drummer, he's not going to do a drummer solo in a song that didn't have one. He's a bloody living breathing drum machine. You could set your watch to his drumming and it would be more accurate than checking your phone. Michael Jackson choose everything, I'm certain he directed JM exactly on what he wanted. Without a doubt.

Please react to all his covers. Please do wanna be starting something next. Different level

Fun fact: he didn't play these MJ songs since 2010, the guy is a fricking beast behind the kit

Johnathan is a world class drummer.

Insane! Absolutely 💯 ❤

I remember seeing him play with Madonna back in the day. Sugar Foot is an absolute groove monster.

JM is so good that Madonna and Elton John used him on tour. That is amazing.

Perfect swing

Sticks are called "rock knockers"..made by promark since the 70's.we all use & used them today !

Other comments here mention that MJ would have been dancing in that break where he did not open up the drum part. That is true. However, I humbly submit that this is a pop song (despite the fact that it easily crosses over into rock.) In a rock song, that break would be a killer guitar solo over opened up drums and thunderous fills. Pop is more likely to have a "breakdown" there where most instruments pull back behind a melody or just vamp on the main groove a little.

Jonathan ''suggarfoot-metronome'' Moffett ☝

DOPE!! CLEAN!! POCKET!!!!

Have you seen the Estepario Siberanio cover of this song???? Or blinding lihgts???? You must !!!!!!!!!

Michael called him Sugarfoot!!!

Hey Jarvis Harry Mack THE GOAT!!!!! Just dropped a new Omegle bars 56 and it’s fire…he also is announcing that he is going on a nation wide tour so please do a reaction for it!!! Much love and positive vibes for the JB Crew nation

Jonathan Moffett , the human metronome !

He's amazing. MJ wanted the best.

Se você veio por conta do React do Lucas Inutilismo, saiba que: Jarvis é simplesmente o melhor "reacter" do youtube!!

Sugarfoot Pure Class.

Michael Jackson did make a great choice for him to be in his band

Deadly

man’s cleaner than a metronome

Nice.. react Eloy Casagrande Sepultura drummer

Please do a reaction to Jam with Jonathan Moffett

AMAZING DRUMS!!!

its soo crazy he dose not know how to chart songs or read music he also never took a drum lesson in his life and he is one of the best in the world

Beautiful

Regarding the loafers … In the latter half of his career after taking lessons from Freddie Gruber, Neil Peart wore dancing shoes. Could that be what we’re seeing here? Just a thought.

this goes to show that that simplier the better, there are occasion where you dont need to be flashy and upstage what would be the supposedly highlight on the song.

Can you do a reaction video to him playing Billie Jean?

You gotta do some Luke Holland. Specifically cinema.

I went on a "Sugarfoot" diet. Everytime I watch him play I loose 10lbs🤠💪💪🥁🥁🥁

Like you said, we presume that he's playing it like he would when live with MJ. So was maybe his solo choice going back to parts a break-beat in the song with just him and MJ busting some moves.....before the band come back in with him.....seems like the only reason he wouldn't open it up.

Stupid question...would double-tipped sticks be something he chose because of playing live concerts constantly? I.e. you have a break or tip fracture during a piece and you just rotate and keep going? I know drummers have plenty of spare sticks on hand...but maybe a very expedited recovery in case of a break? I don't drum, just my curiosity.

Look at 5:00 and right side symbals. Has he layered those two such a way that he can hit them both in one hit ? Is that normal ? =D

He's a drum machine

Jonathan King

The best

and may i add. she used to drum for madonna too.

I know that you could do the same exact thing you’re an amazing drummer so you should try it yourself

Easily the cleanest drummer I've ever seen.

Custom Sticks!

Thats why play for MODONNA AND MJ. ..

SUGARFOOT! That ending! and why was he wearing loafers.

When he does the helicopter with his sticks it does not matter which end he catches. That is what he told me anyway at a clinic.

Yeeh! SUGARFOOT!

They call him sugar foot