Flea plays national anthem on guitar before UCLA-Arizona game

UCLA didn’t pull off an upset Thursday night over top-ranked Arizona, but at least fans in attendance at Pauley Pavilion got some decent pre-game entertainment.

Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea performed the national anthem before tipoff, showing off some of the skills that have made him a well-known entity in the rock world for decades.

Flea keeps things simple at the start of the Star Spangled Banner before unleashing a grinding blast that seemed to work well at getting fans pumped up for the game.

Of course, it wasn’t Flea’s first foray into playing the national anthem at a sporting event. He displayed his excellent trumpet-playing skills during a Lakers-Spurs Western Conference playoff game in 2008.

The longtime Lakers fan might be just as good on the trumpet as he is on the guitar.