diff --git a/tools/perf/util/evsel.c b/tools/perf/util/evsel.c
index cd6ce7066f85..2e0a4e064f44 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/evsel.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/evsel.c
@@ -955,6 +955,20 @@ int perf_evsel__read_cb(struct perf_evsel *evsel, int cpu, int thread,
 	return cb(evsel, cpu, thread, &count);
 }
 
+int perf_evsel__read(struct perf_evsel *evsel, int cpu, int thread,
+		     struct perf_counts_values *count)
+{
+	memset(count, 0, sizeof(*count));
+
+	if (FD(evsel, cpu, thread) < 0)
+		return -EINVAL;
+
+	if (readn(FD(evsel, cpu, thread), count, sizeof(*count)) < 0)
+		return -errno;
+
+	return 0;
+}
+
 int __perf_evsel__read_on_cpu(struct perf_evsel *evsel,
 			      int cpu, int thread, bool scale)
 {
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/evsel.h b/tools/perf/util/evsel.h
index 020f7e13634a..a79944a21e8f 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/evsel.h
+++ b/tools/perf/util/evsel.h
@@ -236,6 +236,9 @@ typedef int (perf_evsel__read_cb_t)(struct perf_evsel *evsel,
 int perf_evsel__read_cb(struct perf_evsel *evsel, int cpu, int thread,
 			perf_evsel__read_cb_t cb);
 
+int perf_evsel__read(struct perf_evsel *evsel, int cpu, int thread,
+		     struct perf_counts_values *count);
+
 int __perf_evsel__read_on_cpu(struct perf_evsel *evsel,
 			      int cpu, int thread, bool scale);