Photos: Check out Mayor Menino playing the drums (UPDATED)

UPDATE

In honor of Mayor Thomas Menino’s expected announcement Thursday that he will not seek re-election, Metro looks back at one of it’s favorite Menino moments…
Metro recently came across yet another picture of Mayor Thomas Menino playing a percussion instrument. It seems Menino’s infatuation with the drums (see below) includes gongs as well. The following picture was taken Sept. 13 at a celebration for a new office opening in the Innovation District:

(Courtesy City of Boston)

We found more photos of Menino tapping the drums in our archive. These Metro photos come from the 2010 opening of an after-school and summer music program in East Boston. The original story that was published August 9, 2012 is below the next two photos:

And another…

Richard Nixon had the piano, Bill Clinton had the saxophone and Mayor Thomas Menino apparently has the drums.

A photo of the mayor rocking out at Tuesday’s National Night Out event in South Boston has been making its way around the Internet after it was posted by City Councilor Matt O’Malley on Twitter.

(Courtesy @mattomalley)

Menino, Boston’s longest serving mayor, has hit on success recently when he took on Chick-fil-A and the chicken chain president’s anti-gay marriage comments.

Some Twitter users have even taken to making memes out of the picture and tying it to the recent viral success when a letter Menino sent to Chick-fil-A’s president was posted online.

“Sorry Chick-fil-A but these are the only drumsticks Boston needs,” @stevhensays posted as his caption.

Metro did some research and found that Menino apparently has an affinity for the drums.

He was spotted banging out some tunes during a block party in Downtown Crossing at the end of last month.

(Image courtesy Suffolk University)

A short video of him toying with the skins and cymbals during an event last year on City Hall Plaza has also been posted on YouTube.

Metro hasn’t yet heard Menino play the drums, but his office said that he’s got rhythm and that he likes to have fun. They did not believe the mayor has played in a band or had drum lessons.

“Watch out, Dave Grohl,” tweeted @derjue.

Follow Michael Naughton on Twitter @metrobosmike.