All language subtitles for Limitless.Live.Better.Now.S02E01.WEBRip.en.cc

[audience applause]

♪ White lips, pale face ♪

♪ Breathin' in the snowflakes, ♪

♪ Burnt lungs, sour taste ♪

♪ Lights gone ♪

-Of all the stupid
things I could have done,

this feels like the stupidest...

[♪ upbeat music playing,
Ed Sheeran “The A Team”]

-The moment I walk out and
see how big that arena is,

I’m starting to think,

“I gotta get out of here.”

Nervous energy, heart rate,

sweaty palms,
short of breath, all of that.

The reality’s kicking in and
I’m feeling really terrified.

-He started learning this
instrument two months ago.

[crowd noise]

-And all the fans are gonna
be watching me destroy an

Ed Sheeran classic.

[crowd noise]

[Ed] In January, I sat
him down at my drum kit and

he sort of had a bit
of a play and I was like,

"Uh."

-It’s one take, it’s one shot.

-Will you make some noise
for Chris Hemsworth?

[crowd cheering]

-I basically have
no musical talent,

so how did I end up playing
drums with one of the biggest

pop stars in the world,
in front of 70,000 people?

[crowd noise]

-It’s the first challenge on
a journey that will take me

all over the world.

[laughs]

I'm diving headfirst into
cutting-edge science...

Here we go.

...to uncover three
powerful secrets to living

better right now.

Yeah!

[team cheering]

Can we supercharge our brains
by learning something new?

-You chose the wrong instrument.

-They’re not
very nice, are they?

Can we beat pain...

-Fight for it!
-...by reframing it?

[groans]

I think it’s the hardest
thing I’ve ever done.

And what benefits are there...

-Right.

...when we face the
things that scare us most?

[groans]

-Come on, Hems.
Get up there!

-It's a life-changing mission
that will push my mind and

my body to the limits...

...and it starts here,
in London.

I’ve always worked very
hard on my physical fitness,

but now that I’m in my 40s,

I’m realizing that I
need to put as much work

in for my brain
as I do for my body.

There’s some days when I
think my memory’s pretty good,

and then other
days I think,

“Oh, something’s not
firing properly” and,

but I think I put it down to
being overwhelmed by certain

things and just having
too much on my plate.

So, I’ve arranged to
meet neuroscientist,

Maya Shankar.

And she kicks things off by
giving my brain a workout.

-Okay, Chris, your job is to
try to ignore what the letters

say and focus exclusive
on the colors.

-Okay.
-Okay.

-Red. Orange. Purple. Yellow.
-Okay.

-So, red with the right hand,
blue with the left.

-Blue with the left, exactly.

-So I do these cognitive
tests with Maya.

A surprisingly fun experience.

Wee!

-Wow! Great job.

-Yellow. Green.

-You did great.

-Turns out I’m pretty sharp.
In that moment, anyway.

Uh, so that was,
that was comforting.

But there is some bad news.

-So, as we age,
our brains shrink,

and after the age of 40,

we see about a 5% decrease
in volume every decade.

-What does that mean for
us on a day-to-day basis?

-Right now,
you might think,

“Oh, it’s fairly easy for
me to remember what I ate

for lunch yesterday,

or the details of the
conversation that I was

having with my friend.”

That’s gonna get harder.

[Chris] Our brains are
made up of neurons,

cells that all communicate
through a complex

network of connections.

As we age, we
lose connections,

but we can compensate
for this by building up

something known as
cognitive reserve.

It’s like if a
highway closes down,

we can create and
access side roads that get us

where we want.

These alternative neural
pathways form when we really

challenge and
stretch our brains.

-So, one of the best ways
to boost your brain is to

learn a new skill.

-So, what skill
would you recommend?

-I would recommend learning
a musical instrument.

-Ah, Okay.

-And that's because every
part of your brain is being

activated simultaneously
when you’re learning

a musical instrument.

-Right.

-So your visual cortex,
your auditory cortex,

your motor cortex.

You’re getting a lot of
bang for your brain buck,

and there’s also the emotional
component of learning music.

-Yeah.

-There's the social element of
playing music with others, um...

-Right... depending
on how well you play.

-Yeah.

-Otherwise, it must
be like, “Stop it!”

-Yeah, exactly, it can
have an antisocial effect.

-That’s right.

I, I, but I, I love,
I love music as well,

and I’ve always wanted
to be more musically,

uh, skilled, uh, so this is,
this is a good opportunity.

Sure.

-And so, yeah, your
next step is figuring out

what exactly you wanna play.

-Okay.

[Chris] I’ve got a
mate who I’d love to get

involved in this.

-This is the room that all the,

uh, live
recording goes on in.

-I met Ed a few years ago.

He was playing in Australia,

and a mate of mine
who knows him said,

“Oh, he wants to
come say ‘hello’,”

and he came over to
have a quiet lunch and like,

20 of my friends
turned up and I was like,

“What are you doing here?”

And it was like,
“Oh, I heard Ed’s coming over.”

But he was so cool about it,

and we became kind
of instant buddies.

-I think we should trade
professions 'cause I think

I'd make a better...

-You hold that better
than me, and look at...

[Ed] You got drums, guitars.

[Chris] Wow.

[Ed] I’ve got a cello here,

just in case you
wanna just try that.

And then piano.

Like, this could be easy-ish if
you just play the white notes.

♪ White lips, pale face ♪

♪ Breathin' in the snowflakes ♪

♪ Burnt lungs, sour taste ♪

-Mm.

-But you can play...
-Something like this?

[♪ upbeat music playing,
“The Knuckle Song”]

It could be some
that could be...

[laughter]

-So, guitar.

You could sing, uh...

♪ They say, she’s
in the class A team, ♪

♪ stuck in her daydream, ♪

♪ Been this way since 18,
but lately ♪

You said you
could play guitar?

-Not like that.
-Okay.

-Ah, I can’t play guitar.
I can strum a few chords.

I had, uh, a thing,
uh, in high school.

-Cool.

[strumming the guitar]

-If you can play
chords like that,

‘cause that actually looks
like you can play a guitar,

that, but that’s probably
not gonna be a challenge.

-Yeah, I was told it
needed to be challenging.

-So maybe we put the
guitar down then.

-Unfortunately, yeah.
-Cool. Sad.

Or, we go really fun
and you try drums.

-Fu, fun for who, exactly?

-It won't be fun
for your family,

when you're practicing at home.

So, you would
just learn the two, three,

and then you hit on the one.

One, two, three, four,
one, two, three, four.

And then one, two, three, four.

One...
do you wanna give it a go?

-Uh, yeah.
Oh, you're gonna...

-So, just start, just start
with the hi-hat first,

just ts-ts-ts.

-I’m starting to sweat.

Like an octopus,
this is like,

and then the extra limbs.

One, two...

-And then try and hit
on the one and the three

with the kick...

-One, two...

-...three, four.

No, yeah, so you...

one and three and then
the two and the four.

-Oh God!

-Do you think you’re up
for this one, though?

-Well, Maya has told me
to choose the most, uh,

challenging instrument
because that’s what’s gonna

give me the most, uh,

benefits as far as
brain health goes.

So, this feels like
we’re in the zone.

-I think this actually might
be the most difficult thing

that you do.

It’s, it’s definitely not
gonna be the most dangerous,

but it’s gonna take a
long time to master this.

-Learning the drums is a really
cognitively demanding task.

You’re having to coordinate
across your four limbs and

to learn different
rhythmic patterns.

[playing drums]

Research shows that novice
drummers who learn the drums

for just eight weeks
showed meaningful,

positive improvements in
their brain structure.

[Chris] Our brains are
actually split into two halves.

Our left half controls
our right limbs,

and our right half,
our left limbs.

Tasks that require limbs on
both sides, like drumming,

can only happen if the halves
communicate across a bridge

called the corpus callosum.

Studies have shown
that drumming changes

the corpus callosum,

making its fibers thicker
so communication flows

across it more efficiently.

This has many benefits,
with drummers able to perform

complex tasks with
less mental effort,

and these changes may
also build cognitive reserve.

-Yeah, so boom-cha-boom-cha.

-So.
-So, one, two...

-Oh.
-One...

-It’s not just drumming
that can strengthen

the corpus callosum.

Any activity that involves
communication between the left

and right hemispheres will
help get the job done.

Things like juggling, or
dancing, or really any sport.

-I was thinking...
-Right.

-...To put a fire
underneath you,

that I would set you an
end goal to actually have

to learn it for.

I'm just about to restart
my stadium tour and,

and I was thinking that
you should learn the drums

to play a song with me.

-Oh, God, okay. Um...

-And there’s gonna be
a time limit for it,

so you are gonna have
to practice an hour, two,

three hours, every single day.

The worst-case scenario is
tens of thousands of people

will get a good TikTok.

-Yeah.
Which is, yeah...

-And the best case scenario
is people get a great TikTok.

-Ah, there you go.

The task is set.

I’ve got around two months
of prep until I have to go and

play with one of the biggest
performing acts on the planet.

So, I need one
hell of a teacher.

[♪ heavy rock music playing
Parkway Drive, "Vice Grip]

This is Ben Gordon.

He’s a good mate of mine and
lives in the same town as me.

♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah! ♪

[Chris] And he is a drummer.

He's the drummer
for Parkway Drive,

one of the biggest metal
bands in the world.

He's incredibly talented...

[drumming]

But with quite a sort of
Buddhist approach to it all.

You know, he,

there’s a Zen quality
to Ben that I love,

which is such a, a contrast
to the, the music he plays.

And he’s gonna be
my drum teacher.

[drum solo]

Do I have to do that?

[laughter]

[Ben] When Chris told
me the challenge,

initially I was pretty shocked
because it’s not an easy thing

to learn drums in a short
period of time at the age of 40.

Kick drum with the pedal.

-See.

-Toms, primarily used for
drum fills and drum rolls.

-Yeah.
-Snare.

-Yep.

-It creates the backbeat,
and then China...

-What’s that called?
-The China cymbal.

-The China cymbal.

-Yeah, it's kind of popular
in metal and rock. Um...

-And in China?
-Yeah!

[laughs]

First lessons are laid out
for the very, very basics of,

of drums.

-One and two and...
-Just playing a simple beat.

-...And four and one...

and ooh yeah, and one...

-But it was extremely
difficult for him.

-...And one and
two and, three...

-So, we'll start slow.

Three and four
and one and two...

Yeah, and I’m slowly realizing
Chris doesn’t have much

innate drumming rhythm.

-One and...

[Ben] Just, let's slow it down.
So, one...

It’s pretty hard to find
what Chris is bad at but

I think we’ve found it.

I think we found one
thing that he doesn’t

excel at immediately.

-Yeah, one and two and
three and four, one...

[Ben] How’s your brain feeling?

-It makes you kind of
get a weird headache.

[laughter]

I’m finding it all
of it challenging.

The left hand, right hand,

right foot all doing
a different thing,

while being in time.

So, this one is on the what?

-One and two, and three and...

-I feel like I’m twisted
up and tied in knots.

Aargh!

It’s little comfort knowing
this is supposed to be good

for my brain.

I’m thinking Ed Sheeran’s
really nervous if he saw this,

this footage.

[♪ upbeat music playing,
Ed Sheeran “Thinking Out Loud”]

♪ So baby now ♪

-To top it all off, the song
I’m going to play has been

streamed more than
six billion times.

[Ben] “Thinking Out Loud” is
one of his biggest songs,

so there’s a chance it could
be severely butchered by Chris.

[♪ upbeat music playing,
Ed Sheeran “Thinking Out Loud”]

♪ Place your head on
my beating heart ♪

♪ Thinking out loud ♪

-As far as the drums in
the song, on the surface,

it might look like
a simple song.

[♪ upbeat music playing,
Ed Sheeran “Thinking Out Loud”]

♪ ...right where we are ♪

-What a lot of people
don’t know is most drummers,

myself included, find it
much harder to play slow.

One and... okay.

There’s more time
in between the notes,

there’s more space,

which means it’s
easier to speed up.

So, if the drummer
gets out of time,

it's worst-case scenario live.

There's a common
saying that the band's only

as good as their drummer, so...

-Oh!
-Yeah!

-I really kinda move to
the beat of my own drum,

not the drum, or his drum.

Or anyone’s drum, really.

[playing drums]

[Ben] You’re going good, though.

-Aargh!

[playing drums]

-Yeah, it’s alright.
This stuff takes a long time,

so just be patient
with yourself.

-We don’t have a long time.

-Yeah, we don’t
have a long time.

[Chris] With time
in short supply,

I get in touch with Maya again.

-I know Chris is feeling
huge amounts of pressure.

To get to the point where
he’s performing live on stage

with Ed Sheeran is going
to take a lot of effort.

I want him to put down his
drumsticks and shift his focus

from learning how to drum,

to learning how to
learn from people who are

masters at learning.

-Ooh!

Wow!

How does this cross over
with my drumming experience?

-Yeah, that’s a,
it’s a fair question.

There is a method to madness.

-Hey, how are you?

-Hi, I’m the head coach of
Cirque du Soleil’s Crystal,

and I have two
questions for you.

-Yeah.
-How is your acrobatics?

-Um, compared to this?
Rubbish.

-And how is your dancing?

-No, you're not asking
me to dance, are you?

-No, no problem, because
we are gonna teach you one

of these roles today.

[Maya] We’re actually gonna
throw you into the deep end,

and the idea is
for you to learn the

underlying learning techniques,

‘cause these techniques are
gonna be things that you use

when you’re learning
how to play the drums.

-Okay, alright.
-Alright, let’s go.

-Okay, good luck, Chris.
You got this.

-Thank you.
Are you not joining us?

-Thankfully not.

-We’re gonna break
it into sections.

-Okay.

I’m worried about
somebody being injured.

-We’ll be walking
on the porters.

-Uh, and also just
concerned about memorizing

the entire sequence.

What are the porters?
Are we the porters?

-You are one of the porters.

[Chris] This is a
five-minute routine,

broken into multiple sections,

and I have just a couple
of hours to learn it.

Do you want me to
watch you do it?

-Yeah.

-So these
Cirque du Soleil performers,

one of the methods they
use is called “chunking.”

-I need you to lean back
and you take his weight,

and push it back up.

-Okay.
-That’s the first chunk.

Chunk two.

[Maya] We use chunking
because our brain’s capacity

to store information
long enough to actually use

it is limited.

-You remember it?
You wanna run it?

-Sure.

-When we break
something into smaller,

more manageable chunks,

it makes the whole
process so much easier.

-Um, so this is the start
of chunk number three.

-Nice.

-This section is one of the
big acrobatic moments for you.

If you don’t support him,
everything goes down.

No pressure.

And lift up.

-Straight up.
-Face forward.

Hold her.
Face forward.

-And then turn so you
can face the other way.

-The other way.
-Sorry...

-The other way.

-And that’s where you
need to change your hand.

-Yeah.
-Up.

-Oops, sorry.
-Alright.

-And then you’ll
just stay in here.

Don’t go too fast.

If you’re not ready,

or if you’re, I
would just say it.

-Yeah.

-It’s super important
to communicate.

-Okay.

-So now you’re gonna mirror
the boys and get in there.

-Yeah.

-When we mirror someone,

we’re imitating their
actions and behaviors.

-Down, over, and then out.

-This leverages a
key feature of the mind,

which is that when we
watch someone do something,

we tend to activate
the same brain areas.

[Chris] When we watch
someone perform a skill,

specialized cells in the brain
called mirror neurons activate,

as if we were performing
the skills ourselves.

This activation allows
our brain to internally

rehearse the skill,

building a mental blueprint
for how it should be done.

-So this one, you’re
mirroring Nathan.

Yep, and then up.
You come through.

Here.

-Mm-hmm.
-And then now...

...perfect.

That's what you wanna do.

Yes, nice. Nice!

-Nice, easy, well done.
-Well done!

[Chris] So, I’ve been learning
the routine all morning

with these world-class acrobats,

and then I’m about to be shoved
right in the middle of it all.

-Uh, any words of wisdom,
any tips, techniques,

for what I’m about to embark
on in this next performance?

-So I know we’re in the world
of Cirque du Soleil right now,

and you’re also in
the world of drumming.

-Yeah.

-But I really do wanna
emphasize that everything

you’re learning today,

they’re gonna be lifelong
techniques that you

carry with you, no matter
what it is that you’re learning.

Before you go back,

I wanna cover one of my
favorite learning techniques,

and this one is visualization.

I just want you to see
if you can get through just

one bit of the choreo.

-Yes.
-Okay.

-You’ll never know for
sure if I’m telling the truth.

-I know.

You could have just
been speaking about going to

a pub last night.

So, visualization is using
our imagination to try and

rehearse the skill or the
sequence in our brains.

-Right.

-One of the best things is
that you can do it anywhere.

-Sitting at the airport,
driving, whatever,

kind of imagining,
rehearsing those steps, right?

-Yes, and I think that’s gonna
help accelerate your learning.

I believe in you.

-Just catch her.
-Oops, fist bump, uncover...

-Don’t drop her.

Oh yeah, see, I was
visualizing the experience,

but let’s do that.

[Chris] We have one
last dress rehearsal...

[background group chatter]

...And of course there's
anxiety I'll mess it up,

but then I think, phew!

Okay, we've rehearsed this,

so I spend time
visualizing the moves.

Trust that I've learnt the
routine a chunk at a time,

and hope that the mirroring has
ingrained the trickiest moves.

[director] Turn over,
turn over please.

[Chris] And then, it’s showtime.

It all comes together,
and it all falls into place.

I’m trying to appreciate
and absorb the moment,

but also not get too distracted.

[♪ intense music playing]

[cheering, applause]

-Yeah! Yeah! Yes!

[Chris] Armed with
learning techniques I can

use in drumming,
I get back to my practicing.

-I think at this point,

Chris’s biggest challenge
is the structure of the song.

[♪ upbeat music playing,
Ed Sheeran “Thinking Out Loud”]

♪ When your legs don't... ♪

-Yeah, we’ve been
using all sorts of

different learning techniques,

and the chunking,
that one’s really helpful.

You wanna cut the
song up into chunks,

learn each chunk,

and then play the song
in a cohesive whole.

[♪ upbeat music playing,
Ed Sheeran “Thinking Out Loud”]

♪ And I can't wait sweep
you off of your feet... ♪

-Okay, flawless round.

With “Thinking Out Loud,”
Chris’s first challenge is

going to be starting at
the right part of the song.

[♪ upbeat music playing,
Ed Sheeran “Thinking Out Loud”]

♪ Will your eyes still
smile from your cheek? ♪

♪ Darling, I will
be loving you ♪

[Ben] When Chris
first comes in,

you have to be in time,

and on the night of a concert,
you only get one shot.

[playing drums]

-Yeah?

-Slower.

[Chris] That first hit is
always a really tricky one

for me to hit.

It’s got to be right on
when the piano, the bass,

the guitar, and Ed’s,

his singing, all
hit together, boom!

[Ben] So, on the first hit.

-Of this?

[Ben] Yeah, like that...

Mirroring has been a big one.

I’ve got two drum kits
in my little studio,

so Chris can see me, and that
seemed to help a lot because

the other big challenge for
Chris is the pre-chorus.

[♪ upbeat music playing,
Ed Sheeran “Thinking Out Loud”]

♪ I just wanna
tell you I am. ♪

♪ So, honey, now ♪

-Chris doesn’t really have
his head around that yet.

[♪ upbeat music playing,
Ed Sheeran “Thinking Out Loud”]

♪ I just wanna
tell you I am ♪

[Ben] So, are you aware
we're doing that in...

-Three, or...?

[Ben] Yeah, but then
there’s a four, five.

-Yeah, I've got to do,

yeah, like I said,
three of them, and then...

Rehearsing with Ben makes me
think of the film, Whiplash.

You know, “You’re rushing,”

“You’re dragging,”
“You’re rushing,”

“You’re dragging,”
but far more nurturing and,

and kind.

[Ben] Now, the last chunk I want
to do is the end of the song.

[♪ upbeat music playing,
Ed Sheeran “Thinking Out Loud”]

♪ Maybe we found love,
right way we are ♪

-The end is extremely important
for the feel of the song,

and the audience is
gonna feel it too.

[♪ upbeat music playing,
Ed Sheeran “Thinking Out Loud”]

♪ We found love,
right way we are ♪

-Ah! It feels so...

The other thing I’m always
messing up is that final

bam-bam-bam-bam-bam-bam-bam.

That, yeah. Yeah, it's...
I’m struggling.

[drumming]

-I’m starting to realize that
Chris has a lot of work to do.

He needs to really put the
time in to learn the parts now.

Practicing is really,
really important for him.

-And that’s gonna be
really challenging because

I’m really busy.

I've got a million other things
that are taking priority.

I have a press tour...

We started in Sydney, uh,

we did LA and now
we’re here in London.

Filming numerous projects.

Family commitments...

What’s your favorite smell?

-Two stroke, baby!

[Chris] Raising
three wild kids...

That kid’s insane.

Keeping sharp and healthy,
and then learning the drums.

It’s somewhere in there, or not.

-Many times I’ve suggested
that we do a lesson,

and he’s said he’s too busy.

I don’t think Chris realizes
he can’t just muscle his way

through this one.

It takes time.

-How are you, bro?

[Ed] I’m alright, I’m alright.

-Well, uh, it’s, I’m
in the thick of it.

Trying to learn the drums.

[Ed] How are you finding it?
Are you, you doing it?

Is it in time?

-Uh, yeah, it’s, it’s, I
definitely underestimated

the whole thing, yeah.

[Ed] How much have you,

do you practice,
like, hours every day?

-I, look, I, I haven’t, no.

Yeah, sort of.
I’m getting there.

[Ed] So, the tour’s
coming to an end.

We’ve got the
perfect show for you.

It’s gonna be in
Bucharest in Romania,

and it’s to 70,000 people.

-It’s a good round number.

What’s your, what’s
your refund policy like?

[Ed] No, no, we’ll have fun.

-Yeah.

[Ed] Plus, mate,
it’s in two weeks,

so you know,
you’ve got loads of time.

-Yeah.

[Ed] You’re gonna be in
the center of everything.

You’re gonna have a
big spotlight on you,

so you’re gonna like the buzz.

-Well, I, it's...

[Ed] Good, love you, man.

-Thanks mate, love ya.

I feel really guilty
at this point,

and I feel the pressure
now from, you know,

the world’s biggest pop star,
but also a mate of mine,

that I’m gonna let down.

-Chris has a really high
standard for himself.

He doesn’t like failure,

he doesn’t like
being embarrassed.

What I’m trying to
reiterate is he’s gonna be

in the limelight very soon,

so he needs to be
taking this more seriously now.

So, I think we
need to motivate Chris,

largely with fear.

Parkway Drive, we’ve got
our production rehearsals

for our upcoming tour.

I thought it would be a good
opportunity for you to play

with a live band and
see what it’s like in a

live band dynamic.

Kind of throwing you
in the deep end today.

-Never played with
a band before,

and I’m like,

we’re gonna play
an Ed Sheeran song?

“Thinking Out Loud,”
and he said,

“No, no, we’re gonna
play one of ours.”

Um, do you think
I’m ready for that?

-We’ll find out very soon.

He’s gonna be out of his
depths, that’s for sure.

-Good to see you, mate.
See ya!

[Winston] Come for try-outs?

-Welcome to the zone.

-I’ve come for, uh, the
audition for the new drummer.

Had some issues
with the old one.

-Thanks.

-You've already won
some beauty points...

-Thank you, thank you.
-...On the old one.

-That’s what I heard
you were after.

Looks but no talent.
That’s me.

[Jia] Did you play
any instrument ever,

like flute in
school or something?

-Flute? The recorder.

[whistles]

♪ Two little sausages ♪

-“Three Blind Mice?”

♪ One went sizzle and
the other went bang ♪

Remember that?

Oh, this is the double kick.

[Ben] So, as a drummer,

you’re gonna keep
your cool and play in time,

while also
remembering the song,

while also knowing
what’s going on with the band,

because the, the
rest of the band,

the instruments,
follow your lead.

What, what you should
play in this is just a

basic rock beat,

which is simpler
than the Ed song.

Hi hat’s open,

and then the kick
drum’s on one and three.

[playing drums]

-Alright, you ready for action?

-Let’s go, test one.
Here we go.

[♪ heavy metal music playing]

[Winston] Stop. Stop.

[band] No! No, no.

Ah! Alright.

[Chris] What’s now becoming
clear in playing with an

actual band is that I
really can’t keep time.

-Alright, let’s go again.
Take two.

[Ben] One, two, three, four.
One, two, three, four.

One, two--

- Hang on!

[Winston] Take three.

Let’s go.

[♪ rock music playing,
Parkway Drive “Vice Grip”]

♪ A system of
complete control ♪

♪ The pressure builds ♪

♪ It wraps its hands
around your throat ♪

♪ A constant battle ♪

♪ Keep the flame alive ♪

[Winston] That’s swaying.

[Jeff] That was pretty sad.

-That's...

[Jeff] That’s pretty sad.

-100%.

-You came in pretty well, and
then you actually slowed down.

Can you notice when you
speed up and slow down?

-Oh, there’s a lot going on.

-How long before the Ed gig?
-14 days.

[Jeff] You chose the
wrong instrument.

-You chose the wrong instrument.

That was so bad we
couldn’t keep going.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.
-Yeah, that was train wreck.

I mean, like it’s a hard
reality check because you pull,

you pull the drummer out,
the whole thing falls to pieces.

-I, I’m sort of having a
chuckle and having a laugh and,

and then it starts to hurt.

-Yeah, I mean, it’s all
well and good to do that,

that’s the thing.

You can do that but if you’re
sounding like you are now,

if we screw up on stage,

it’s kind of endearing
and people are like,

“Ah, my favorite band
screwed up.”

You’re an outsider
going onto Ed’s stage and

if you screw up in
front of their fans,

his fans aren’t
gonna be like, “Yay!”

They’re gonna be like,

“You’re screwing up
my favorite song.

Why are you even here?”

-They’re not very nice,
are they?

[Ben] It's good, though.
Like, failing is how you learn.

Don't let the failure, um...

-I should be
learning plenty, then.

-Yeah, yeah.

-Failure’s frustrating,
but it’s a critical part of

unlocking improvements
in the brain.

Every time we fail,
we’re signaling to the brain

that something isn’t
quite working for us,

and so it needs
to be reshaped,

it needs to change.

-Yeah!

-That feeling of your
brain just hurting and

you just wanna give up,

that is when
it’s doing its work.

You have to get to that
point of failure over and

over and over again.

That’s how your brain learns.

-When we make a mistake,

it signals to the brain,

“Hey, the current setup
isn’t good enough.

We need to actually
change something.”

[Chris] Failure is an essential
part of mastering a new skill.

It can force our
brains to adapt,

helping us learn
from our mistakes.

Over time, strengthened
connections and new pathways

between neurons form,

which are reinforced
through repetition.

After continuous practice,

our brains have built
up a bank of new pathways,

not only boosting
our current skills but also

creating cognitive reserve,

making our brains
more resilient as we age.

The more we push
ourselves, the better.

Definitely scared the hell
out of me enough to make sure

I have to have,

you know, six hours a day now,
on the drums.

So, you might be called upon
a little more frequently.

You might have sleep overs.
We'll just...

...In bunk beds.
“Ben, you awake?”

I just wanna get out of
that place so I can start

practicing the song.

So I cancel everything ‘cause
I’ve got a lot of work to do.

-Yeah.

-I know I need to master the
pre-chorus and the big finish,

but most of all,

I need to crack how
I come into the song.

-So we’ve been
using visualization.

I’ve been getting
him to go home and

visualize himself playing.

-I’ve started carrying
drumsticks around with me and

just kinda banging on
the dashboard in the car.

Just anywhere I am,
just trying to hear that song.

[humming]

-Then repeating the mirroring...

...the chunking.

-There’s a lot of, um, team
talks with myself, you know?

-Come on in, you ready?

How are ya?
You ready?

-Good, man.

I’m 24 hours away from
the event, and I’m thinking,

“You’ve got this,

you’ve got this,
it’s gonna be good.”

[Maya] Even though Chris has
really internalized the song,

there’s a real chance that
his brain might trip him up

in the performance itself.

He might also be overwhelmed
by the novelty of the location.

It’s different from
where he actually learned the

song in the first place.

-No matter how many
times you practice,

when he gets on that stage,

he’s not gonna realize how,

how nervous he’s gonna feel.

If he gets caught up
in the pressure of it,

he’ll seize up,

and if the drums stop,
the show stops.

-See you, guys.
See you in Romania.

-I feel it’s 50/50.

[♪ intense music playing]

-Good, it’s a small theatre.
It’s a small space.

-That is a massive stadium.

You’re literally going to
the top of the music world,

like you’re playing in a
sold-out stadium with one of

the biggest acts in the world.

That’s pretty incredible.

-Yeah, we skipped a
few steps, didn’t we?

-You skipped about 20
years of struggling...

-Yeah.
-You just got to the top.

-I’m really nervous because
I’ve never played this song

properly with a band before,
and then Ed comes out.

-How’s it gone?
Are you ready?

-"How's it gone?"
We need a singer...

-Yeah.
-We need a singer.

It’s going alright.

-How you going, man?
-How are you?

-Ben, nice to meet you.

-No, it’s going good,
it’s going good.

I’m, it, it, I’m excited.

-How’s it going?
-Uh, no, it’s good.

He’s good.

I, I’ve been
concerned at the start,

but the last two weeks,
he’s put the time in.

-Yeah.

-What, so have you done
nothing but drumming for

the last like, two weeks?

-That’s it. That’s it.

-Wow!
-Kind of spent.

-So good.
-I’m excited.

-Right, I’ll, I’ll,
I’ll go up on stage.

-Feeling comfortable?

-Yeah.
-Yep.

-I’m sure I can hear,
don’t know, how fast is it?

-Trust your...
-Huh?

-Trust your instincts,
just try not to doubt yourself.

-And I thought we would have,

you know, a few
hours together.

♪ Baby now ♪

♪ Take me into
your loving arms. ♪

-We have one run through,
and my timing is off.

And he goes, “Cool, good.
Sounds great.”

-Great.
-And so...

...I think it’s so bad
that he’s not gonna bother and

he’s now telling the
sound tech to turn me

down or something.

But I'd love to have a little,

a little longer to rehearse.

But then...

-Ipswich are playing at five,
so come watch it.

-Ed says, “Oh, I’m gonna
watch the football.”

I said, “Oh, yeah, sure, sure,

you can go and
watch the football.”

-You an Ipswich fan now?

-Oh yeah, course I am.

As of just now.

I should be practicing,
I should be rehearsing,

I should be running
through the song,

I should be listening
to this song,

and there’s surely something
else I should be doing.

[cheering]

I’m no longer sort of jokingly
terrified and nervous,

I’m actually, um,
really concerned.

[background television chatter]

I’m starting to think,
I’m gonna get out of here.

So I do.

I don’t watch the
rest of the game.

Pick up my drumsticks,
started banging away.

And so, sitting here now,

I can be really honest
with you because at the time,

I’m saying, I’m excited,
I’m good, I’m good,

feeling good.

-How do you feel about
going out there, you playing?

-Good, yeah.
-Yeah.

-Good, good. Um...
yeah, it's, as, no, good.

I wasn’t, I was terrified.

-Do you feel
prepared and ready?

-Yeah.

I just kind of imagined myself
dropping the stick and smashing

my head on the cymbal,

and then that’s just being
on a loop for the world to see.

I could hear the
stadium filling up outside,

and it’s all starting
to feel very real,

but I keep telling myself
this is good for me,

this is good for my brain.

But not for my stress levels.

-Ready?
You look ready.

-Hey, listen, just try to
have fun out there, right?

Don’t be nervous.

-I won’t be nervous.

-About what I’m about
to do to your career.

-I'm not gonna, uh,

I'm not gonna introduce you,
so like, afterwards...

-Okay.
-...I’m gonna be like,

“Hey guys, guess what?”

-Yeah, sure.

-And then are you
gonna come on stage?

-Yeah.
-Well, good luck, man.

-Yeah, buddy.
-Have a good time.

-You too.

[♪ upbeat music playing,
Ed Sheeran “Castle on the Hill”]

♪ Oh, I'm on my way, ♪

♪ Driving at 90 down
though country lanes, ♪

♪ Singing to Tiny Dancer and ♪

♪ I miss the way
you make me feel, ♪

♪ And it's real... ♪

-There’s really no
feeling like it when you

walk out to a crowd of
thousands and thousands

of screaming people.

[crowd cheering]

You got this, brother.

You can’t compare
it to anything.

It feels like a coliseum,

it feels very
nerve-wracking.

If you can harness that,
it’s an incredible feeling,

but if you get too excited,
you don’t play well.

There’s a fine line that
Chris is gonna have to find.

If he’s in his head,
that’s not a good place to be.

He has to let his subconscious
mind do it automatically

and just feel it.

[Chris] So, I’m walking
out into the arena.

It’s way bigger
than I’d imagined.

It’s, everything’s
just too overwhelming.

And I feel incredibly
inadequate.

I feel like, embarrassed,

and, this was as far
out of my comfort zone

as I could have been.

I had assumed that no one
would know I was there,

but within about 10 seconds,

people start
noticing and then the cameras

are coming out and it’s,

and the energy’s starting
to shift, sort of onto me,

and I’m like, what the
hell am I doing here?

So I step upon to my
little stage and Dexter,

the real drummer, steps aside.

There’s an internal battle of,

I can do it,
I can’t do it.

I can do it, I can’t do it,

and just trying to let
the positive voice win, yeah.

♪ And she don't wanna
go outside tonight ♪

♪ And in a pipe, she
flies to the Motherland ♪

♪ Or sells love to another man ♪

♪ It's too cold outside ♪

And I start looking around,

and I see the arena
and all the lights and

Ed's still playing and...

It’s, um, I’m scared.

-Ah, because with this song,

if you do not know
the words to this song,

then you are at
the wrong concert.

♪ When your legs don't work
like they used to before, ♪

♪ And I can’t sweep
you off of your feet ♪

-And I know if I can’t
hit that first beat, you know,

when the bass starts,
the piano, the guitar,

everything hits
at the same time,

and if I’m off,
it’s, it’s all off.

♪ When your eyes still
smile from your cheeks.... ♪

♪ Hey, darling, I... ♪

-And then here we go.
And...

♪ I will be loving
you till we're 70. ♪

[Chris] And I look around,

and Ed’s still relaxed,
and I’m like,

just make sure
you’re concentrating on

what you’re doing.

♪ And baby, my heart could
still fall as hard at 23 ♪

♪ And I'm thinking
'bout how... ♪

[Chris] I’m encouraging
and welcoming the adrenaline

at this point.

♪ Mysterious ways ♪

♪ Maybe just the
touch of a hand ♪

-But now I have the
pre-chorus to deal with.

Yeah, I was always
on or off that.

It, yeah, I couldn’t
consistently hit that right at

the right time.

♪ And I just wanna
tell you, I am... ♪

-Then I had a little moment of,

“Oh, you’re this close,
don’t drop the ball now!”

♪ So, honey, now,
take me into your loving arms ♪

-But then something happened,
and something sort of clicked.

♪ Kiss me under the light
of a thousand stars, ♪

[Chris] I just soak it up,
you know?

♪ Place your head on
my beating heart ♪

[Chris] And I’m not worried,
I’m not concerned.

♪ I'm thinking out loud ♪

[Chris] Even that final...

♪ We found love
right where we are ♪

-Now, ladies and gentlemen,

there has actually
been a special guest

here the entire
time for this song,

the entire time,

and you just have
not noticed them.

He started learning this
instrument two months ago,

and he has been on
stage playing with us

for the whole time,
playing in time.

Will you make some
noise for Chris Hemsworth!

[cheering and applause]

Now, how about that?

You’ve been amazing, mate.

-It was all a little,
you know, out of body.

♪ Oh, oh ♪

♪ Oh, oh ♪

♪ Sing oh, oh ♪

[Chris] And I haven’t ever
had 70,000 people staring

at me like this.

♪ Baby, now ♪

♪ Take me into your
loving arms, yeah. ♪

♪ Kiss me under the light
of a thousand stars, ♪

♪ Oh my darling, ♪

♪ Place your head on
my beating heart ♪

♪ I’m thinking out loud ♪

♪ Baby, we found love
right where we are, ♪

♪ Baby, we found love
right where we are, ♪

♪ And we found love
right where we are ♪

[Ed] Make some noise for Chris!

[audience cheering and applause]

Chris, come up.
Come up on stage, mate.

He has worked his socks off,
to the point where no one even

noticed there was a different
drummer and, uh, yeah,

I’m just really,
really proud of him.

[Chris] And then
I walk up on stage.

Ed says to me, “Take you,
your headphones out and

listen to this.”

-Give him a big round
of applause, guys!

[audience cheering and applause]

And I’ll never
forget that moment.

[Ed] Make some noise
for Chris Hemsworth.

[Chris] To be in the eye
of the storm at that point,

to have the approval
of 70,000 people was,

I’ll say it was a nice feeling.

I was, I was very thankful.

[Ed] Things you
didn’t expect to see.

[audience cheering and applause]

-Woo!

[Ben] I feel like Chris has
learned a lot in this challenge.

[cheering]

He’s just opened up a
whole new realm for himself.

There’s been so many failures
and frustrations along the way,

but he’s pushed through,
and that’s how you learn.

That’s how you push yourself,
that’s how you evolve.

-That’s where I belong.
I’m a drummer!

-Yeah, you are.

♪ One, two, three woo! ♪

[Chris] As I watch
the rest of the concert,

I’m happy, I’m content.

♪ Now, I'm in town,
break it down, ♪

♪ Thinking of making
a new sound, ♪

♪ Playing a different show ♪

-And learning a
new skill, I feel,

has ignited a different
part of my brain.

I feel different things firing,
and I do feel the benefits.

And also in that
pursuit of a new skill,

takes you on an
entirely new adventure.

It’s really good
for cognitive health,

learning an instrument.

All the science is there,

but it’s also about having fun
and doing something enjoyable.

♪ Could it be that I
don't need you at all? ♪

♪ You need me, man,
I don't need you ♪

[audience cheering]

[backstage cheering]

-Did you enjoy it?

-Yeah, brother.
That was fun.

-It was, you were so good,
man, honestly.

-Right.
-Did you get the buzz?

-I got a buzz, yeah.
-Yeah?

You really, really
did well, really well.

[Chris] Yeah, thanks mate.

It was a huge high
in the moment,

and then in the aftermath,
as things are slowing down,

I feel a weightlessness.

I could have almost
gone off to sleep.

-We’re gonna turn the
cameras off and we’re gonna

have a beer.

So, see you later.

-Instead, I went to the pub.

Next time, I travel
to South Korea...

[grunts]

...To unlock the secrets
to overcoming pain.

[yelling]

I just knew it was gonna suck...

It’s in my [bleep] eyes.

...And it did.

[groans]