DOWNTOWN — A late night ride on a Chicago Avenue bus led to a friendly sing-off of epic proportions Friday night, and thankfully, one nimble rider caught the catchy tunes on camera.
Irving Park resident Brianne Downing was heading home just after midnight when she boarded a No. 66 Chicago Avenue bus heading west at Michigan and Chicago avenues. A fellow passenger immediately caught her eye, a chatty rider who reminded her of a certain beloved television character — Titus Andromedon from the Netflix series "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt."
Downing, 33, told DNAinfo she wanted to grab a quick video of her fellow passenger to send to a friend who is a huge fan of the show.
The man, whom Downing affectionately referred to as "Titus," was friendly with her and other riders, and started chatting with a man who said he was in town for a singing event.
Immediately "Titus" ran up to the bus driver and asked a question, Downing and fellow passengers still unaware what was about to happen.
"I just wanted to make sure that if I start singing that you won't say 'get off my bus,'" the man joked with the driver in another video Downing shared with DNAinfo.
He returned to his seat and suddenly started belting out a tune, a top-notch performance. "Titus" turned to the fellow vocalist next to him and told him it was his turn, which resulted in a pretty impressive sing-off, CTA style.
Downing and the other passengers were floored by the impressive and somewhat surreal performance.
A woman next to her proclaimed, "Thank God we got on this bus!"
After the impromptu concert, "Titus" asked Downing what she was going to do with the video.
She told him she might put it on Facebook, since she really wanted to show her friend who was a big "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" fan.
He said he wasn't familiar with the show, but when she told him about Titus Andromedon, he exclaimed dubiously "What, there is a guy who is as amazing as I am? No this cannot be," Downing said.
She and the other riders explained the show to their IRL "Titus," before she hopped off at the Chicago Blue Line stop.
Downing told DNAinfo she had no idea the men were going to start singing when she hit record on her phone, making it one of the more happy accidents to encounter on the CTA.
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