FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

Music

A Tribute to the World's Largest Rock Band

An infographic on 1000 musicians.

This story appears in VICE magazine and Noisey's 2017 Music Issue. Click HERE to subscribe to VICE magazine.

A few years back in France, 520 musicians launched into a song by the White Stripes, and in doing so, they set a Guinness World Record for the largest rock band. Last year, that record was shattered when 953 musicians performed together at the Beijing Contemporary Music Academy in China. The six-section band was led by Cui Jian, a pioneering singer, songwriter, guitarist, and trumpeter known as the "Godfather of Chinese Rock."

There have been larger bands to play, though they're not officially recognized by the Guinness World Records. One of the more famous groups is the Rockin' 1000 out of Cesena, Italy. In 2015, they assembled 1,000 musicians to play the Foo Fighters' "Learn to Fly," which convinced Dave Grohl to play in their city. And the following year, they paid tribute to David Bowie by covering "Rebel Rebel."