Advertisement

‘Despacito’-playing accordion player in Toronto busted by transit officers

Click to play video: '‘Despacito’-playing accordion player in Toronto busted by transit officers'
‘Despacito’-playing accordion player in Toronto busted by transit officers
WATCH ABOVE: A pair of "Despacito" –playing accordion players had been warned not to continue playing as the TTC does not allow busking on trains – May 1, 2018

TORONTO – One of two accordion players who have been performing the hit song “Despacito” on Toronto subway trains will soon face a justice of the peace.

The men have drawn mixed reactions from commuters in recent days after videos of their performances circulated online. The pair had been warned to stop or risk being fined, as busking on trains is not allowed.

Enforcement officers with the Toronto Transit Commission caught one of the men on Monday after boarding a train and hearing the familiar melodies of the summer hit, a spokesman said.

READ MORE: TTC subway riders serenaded with ‘Despacito’ by accordion player

“They caught him red-fingered in the act of doing something he shouldn’t be doing, which is playing music on the TTC,” Stuart Green said in an interview.

Story continues below advertisement

Those who want to busk on TTC property must be approved before they can perform in designated areas, Green said.

The enforcement officers could have issued the accordion player an automatic fine of $235, but they chose the more lenient option – issuing a summons for the player to appear before a justice of the peace.

“Yesterday the guy was very respectful, was very polite,” Green said.

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.

Get daily National news

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

“He was asked to move along and he did. So, you know, our officers took that into account in how they handled it.”

WATCH: One of the ‘Despacito brothers’ issued court summons by TTC

Click to play video: 'One of the ‘Despacito brothers’ issued court summons by TTC'
One of the ‘Despacito brothers’ issued court summons by TTC

The accordion players, who Green believes are brothers, have caused fans and critics to share their opinions online.

Story continues below advertisement

One subway rider tweeted, “thank you accordion man on the subway for making this rainy commute home a little more entertaining.”

“Never stop playing. The accordion makes the most beautiful, positive music. Something we all need more of,” another tweeted after the bust.

READ MORE: ‘Despacito,’ non-Bieber version, becomes most viewed video ever on YouTube

Others, however, were less receptive to the performances.

“I’m getting a little tired of this Despacito accordion player riding the subway. Nothing fails to sour me faster,” one wrote, pre-bust.

Green said the buskers are still something of a mystery – English is not their first language, and Green said he doesn’t know where they come from originally.

“Our guess is that perhaps they’re from somewhere that this is allowed,” he said.

“We’ve made it clear to them on a couple occasions that this is not allowed on the TTC.”

“Despacito,” by Luis Fonsi, featuring Daddy Yankee, became the most viewed clip of all-time on YouTube last summer and the most-streamed track of all-time. However, the record-breaking video did not feature vocals by Canadian pop star Justin Bieber that appeared on a remix.

 

Story continues below advertisement

https://twitter.com/Dopeiminexo/status/989819530313650176

Sponsored content

AdChoices