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Skateboarding TikTok viral sensation posts from Las Vegas Strip

Updated October 21, 2020 - 2:27 pm

Call it a pandemic/2020 inevitability: The TikTok user who became a viral sensation after lip-syncing Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” while drinking Ocean Spray cran-raspberry juice and skateboarding down an Idaho highway made it to Las Vegas.

Nathan Apodaca, known on TikTok as @420doggface208, posted Tuesday night from Caesars Palace and while grooving with a Mickey Mouse character busking on the Strip. Apodaca posted from inside Caesars, near the fountain display at the hotel’s main entrance, and along the walkway leading to the Strip. He’s on the board, and drinking his trademark beverage, the whole way.

Apodaca then posted from the Starbucks just north of the Bellagio fountains while dancing with the Mickey figure to the Snoop Dogg staple “What’s My Name?”

Combined, the two clips were approaching 800,000 views by noon Wednesday. The entire visit was Caesars Entertainment-centric: Apodaca also posted in his Instagram story feed while at an elevator bank in the hotel (holding a small, gray doggie), from what appears to be a top-level suite, from High Roller at The Linq Promenade, having dinner at Gordon Ramsey’s Hell’s Kitchen, and outside at the Roman Plaza.

The feed is actually co-sponsored by Caesars Entertainment and links back to the official Caesars.com website, where — of course — you can book rooms, restaurant reservations and tickets to the company’s shows returning to the Strip.

“We offered to host him and his family for their first visit to Las Vegas ever,” company spokesman Robert Jarrett said in an email Wednesday. “He only spent 24 hours in the city, but we were able to arrange some memorable experiences to ensure he lived #LikeACaesar … He was absolutely lovely, and the feedback from his social posts has been incredible.”

Taken together, this is a significant piece of news for TikTok followers. Apodaca’s original clip of himself lip-syncing the Fleetwood Mac classic on Sept. 25 has generated 62 million views, boosting his list of followers to more than 5 million. He achieved this fame after his TikTok video, riffing on his skateboarding to and from work at a potato warehouse in Idaho Falls (for real) after his car broke down. He lives in an RV parked at his brother’s house and has set up a donation portal to help his family improve its living situation.

“I’m always on my long board, and I’ve got my juice always with me,” Apodaca said during an appearance on “Big Boy’s Neighborhood” radio show on L.A.’s 92.3 FM on Oct. 6. A busy TikTok operator already, Apodaca posted the clip on the spur of the moment, choosing “Dreams” simply because “it was just at the top of my favorites list at the time.”

The clip is authentic. Apodaca was really skateboarding on the road.

Fleetwood Mac’s Mick Fleetwood and Stevie Nicks caught the wave and recorded their own versions of Apodaca’s video. Fleetwood nearly duplicated the cranberry juice and skateboarding. Nicks is shown lacing up roller skates next to her record player as “Dreams” plays in the background. Even Shakira cut a version. All of the superstars tagged Apodaca’s TikTok account.

Released in 1976 on the “Rumors” album, “Dreams” has actually returned to the international music charts over the past month. And Ocean Spray gave Apodaca a new truck. The viral star, who was introduced to the social media platform by his 12-year-old daughter, said during his radio appearance, “You get lucky on TikTok, being a regular Joe, you know what I mean? Any video can just hit a million.”

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.

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