Ed Sheeran, John Mayer and Dave Grohl just cruised into the Jimmy Kimmel Live! studio to perform “Drive” from the F1: The Movie soundtrack, keeping their feet on the gas from start to finish.
Bringing intensity and high-energy to the rock track, the British pop star and American guitarist both strummed axes as Sheeran sang lead vocals in a video of the showcase posted Thursday (Jan. 15). The pair wrote “Drive” together with producer Blake Slatkin, who joined the two men on guitar for the performance.
A certain Foo Fighters frontman also pounded away on the drums behind Sheeran and Mayer, while Rami Jaffee and Pino Palladino also rocked out with the boys. All of them were backdropped by a screen showing a montage of footage of Brad Pitt and Damson Idris in the F1 film.
“Flyin’ through the city, I got God on my side/ But the real world is not far/ Push to the limit, I’ll be burnin’ all night/ Gettin’ tailed by a cop car,” Sheeran belted while Mayer, lost in the music, nodded his head to the riffs he was shredding on his electric.
The first live performance of “Drive” comes more than six months after the star-studded F1 soundtrack dropped, also featuring tracks by Tate McRae, Doja Cat, ROSÉ and Chris Stapleton. Upon its release, seven of the songs from the album occupied top 10 spots on the Tunefind Top Movie Songs chart.
Sheeran’s stop by Kimmel comes right before he’s set to embark on his Loop Tour, which kicks off Friday (Jan. 16). Two days prior to the performance, the hitmaker unveiled his career-spanning setlist for the trek via an Apple Music playlist.
Watch Sheeran, Mayer, Grohl and company perform “Drive” for the first time ever above.
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