‘AGT’ singer, 82, to perform with Drowning Pool at Open Air fest

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John Hetlinger, 82, wowed the audience of “America’s Got Talent” with his cover of “Bodies.”

When Drowning Pool takes to the stage of this weekend’s Chicago Open Air music festival in Bridgeview, they will be joined for one song by 82-year-old Navy veteran and former aerospace engineer John Hetlinger.

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Hetlinger, a contestant on the current season of the summer’s hit TV competition series “America’s Got Talent,” performed a cover of the band’s hit, “Bodies,” as part of his first-round audition last month. The song is apparently his favorite karaoke track. “This would be probably the high point of my life and my many careers,” he told judge Simon Cowell when asked about his decision to compete on the show. Video of the performance instantly went viral, with over 8 million views to date.

In an Entertainment Weekly interview Drowning Pool guitarist C.J. Pierce says the band invited Hetlinger to perform with them during their 2 p.m. set at the festival. Hetlinger apparently accepted the invite via Twitter.

I was blown away, Pierce said in the interview, noting that their original singer, Dave Williams, died of a heart condition in 2002, a year after Bodies first debuted. [Dave] would be so excited to see this guy do it, because he was big on karaoke as well, Pierce says. He would be proud, that’s for sure.

Drowning Pool | SUPPLIED PHOTO

Drowning Pool | SUPPLIED PHOTO

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