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‘America’s Got Talent’: 82-Year-Old Contestant Performs With Metal Band Drowning Pool

By Krista Clark

From the archive: published Jul 17, 2016, 10 years ago. Details may have changed since.

Viewers were shocked when the America’s Got Talent auditions included 82-year-old John Hetlinger took the stage earlier this season and performed the song “Bodies” by Drowning Pool. The band loved his performance and told him he was welcome to perform with them any time. Now, that dream has come true for this America’s Got Talent octogenarian.

John Hetlinger performed on America’s Got Talent on June 7 and made jaws drop, both in the live audience and in homes across america. He told the judges about experiences he’s had in his life, including years spent as a Navy pilot and his most recent job as an aerospace engineer. Among the things John got to do as an aerospace engineer, he told the America’s Got Talent judges, was to serve as a program manager for the mechanism that repaired the Hubble telescope. Despite these amazing experiences, he told Simon Cowell that performing on America’s Got Talent “would be probably a high point of my life and my many careers.” Simon wished him luck and Hetlinger, 82-years-old and wearing a white polo shirt and khakis, cued the music. Then he broke into his rendition of “Bodies” by Drowning Pool. The crowd loved it and were all on their feet seconds into his performance.

https://www.facebook.com/LoudWire/posts/1430803813614880

Drowning Pool tweeted that night about John’s America’s Got Talent performance.

Well now, Rolling Stone is reporting that what started with this tweet following John’s America’s Got Talent performance has come to fruition. He performed “Bodies” with Drowning Pool in an open air concert in Chicago last night. It was awesome.

Loudwire spoke with Drowning Pool’s CJ Pierce about Hetlinger’s America’s Got Talent performance shortly after the show aired on June 27. He told them the following.

“I am so entertained by it. It’s awesome to just see an 82-year-old man get out there and belt some metal — whether it was our song or any song… We’d love to get in touch with him or hope he gets in touch with us and I’m looking forward to meeting him anyway. He just seems like a great guy anyway, working on the Hubble telescope and everything, that’s freaking cool. And he was a Navy pilot. Good for him.”

The band followed through and the 82-year-old America’s Got Talent sensation appeared with Drowning Pool on Friday night at Chicago Open Air. John has one more amazing life experience to add to his story. America’s Got Talent propelled him into America’s consciousness, leading him to the opportunity to perform at a concert that included not only Drowning Pool, but other legendary performers like Korn and Marilyn Manson.

John did change it up a bit from his polo and khakis that he wore on America’s Got Talent. He appeared on stage with Drowning Pool in a band t-shirt and jeans, and seemed to be having a great time. He joined them for the end of their eight-song set. The band and crowd loved him, and he performed again the following night in Ink in the Clink in Ohio.

Shortly after Hetlinger’s performance on America’s Got Talent, he spoke with Entertainment Weekly who reported that “Bodies” wasn’t his first choice as his audition song. His first choice was a country song, “You Never Even Call Me by My Name,” by David Allan Coe. He didn’t do very well with that one, and when America’s Got Talent producers learned that he liked to perform heavy metal, they suggested he go with that instead. That’s a change for which John is sure to always be thankful. Who knew it would lead to all of this? We can’t wait to see what he does next.

Check out his live performance with Drowning Pool below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvVQk8Ilkqw

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