Mateo Castillo-Bonde, an 11-year-old from Minneapolis, left thousands at the State Fair Grandstand speechless, doing something most pre-teens his age do not. He played a guitar solo with the kind of precision that only comes from years of intensive practice. He did it in front of legendary producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Just like the audience, the musicians also forgot they were watching a kid who was figuring out the basics of guitar only a few years ago.
Get breaking news anytime, anywhere. Download the TOI app now!
Who is Mateo Castillo-Bonde?
Mateo Castillo-Bonde is a sixth-grader at Plymouth Middle School. Like most kids his age, Mateo’s room is filled with Legos and posters of his favourite bands. He plays guitar like a professional, even though it’s only been three years since he started taking guitar seriously. “I just like them because they are guitar dudes. I don't know what I am. I'm a guitar player,” Mateo Castillo-Bonde told Fox 9.
Mateo grew up admiring Michael Jackson and Prince. Three years ago, Mateo visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and something clicked. The museum visit wasn't meant to be transformational, but watching the histories of guitar legends sparked something in him that stuck. He returned home, picked up a guitar and decided to take it seriously. “I just started playing,” he recalled. His parents knew Mateo was serious about it, so they enrolled him in guitar lessons twice a week. “I think right away we noticed that he had an aptitude. His first recital, he played and, I mean, I was just blown away. You know, he sang, he played the guitar and it was just amazing,” Mark Bonde, Mateo's father, told the outlet.
He practised for endless hours. The progression has been steep. The performances started quietly: the national anthem before a Gopher women's basketball game. Then came slots with the Purple Playground at Paisley Park, paying tribute to Prince's legacy in Prince's own studio. Each gig built confidence, muscle memory and passion.
“It's just really fun to play the guitar. I feel like I can get my emotions out,” Mateo said.
The State Fair stage
Jam and Lewis were headlining a homecoming concert, and they wanted to honour Jellybean Johnson, the guitarist who played on Janet Jackson's ‘Black Cat’ and died last year. That’s when they came to know about the ‘Minneapolis Mateo’. “I was shocked. I didn't think that they'd pick me for something like that,” Mateo said. They decided to bring the kid, and what happened after was, well, history.
He played it right. Fans called it the highlight of the show. “It was crazy. It felt like all my practice led up to that moment. And it felt really, really good afterwards,” Mateo said.
