diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-annotate.c b/tools/perf/builtin-annotate.c
index a5969fa64503529fc0636d99090f1f39f636733e..e7417fe97a9775eae8712d5bb58be2db0d1d7363 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-annotate.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-annotate.c
@@ -326,7 +326,10 @@ int cmd_annotate(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix __maybe_unused)
 		    "Show event group information together"),
 	OPT_END()
 	};
-	int ret;
+	int ret = hists__init();
+
+	if (ret < 0)
+		return ret;
 
 	argc = parse_options(argc, argv, options, annotate_usage, 0);
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-report.c b/tools/perf/builtin-report.c
index 8043b5a7240a19ef8973e5764b2e46a73d4c5934..2cfc4b93991f71008ec336825f207831f6351720 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-report.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-report.c
@@ -568,7 +568,6 @@ int cmd_report(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix __maybe_unused)
 	struct stat st;
 	bool has_br_stack = false;
 	int branch_mode = -1;
-	int ret = -1;
 	char callchain_default_opt[] = "fractal,0.5,callee";
 	const char * const report_usage[] = {
 		"perf report [<options>]",
@@ -695,6 +694,10 @@ int cmd_report(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix __maybe_unused)
 	struct perf_data_file file = {
 		.mode  = PERF_DATA_MODE_READ,
 	};
+	int ret = hists__init();
+
+	if (ret < 0)
+		return ret;
 
 	perf_config(report__config, &report);
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-top.c b/tools/perf/builtin-top.c
index 8ab9716db5931b3140f71a8714d1b1a24b963f06..0aa7747ff1390e0995a875a6c185697901cb9632 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-top.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-top.c
@@ -1047,7 +1047,6 @@ parse_percent_limit(const struct option *opt, const char *arg,
 
 int cmd_top(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix __maybe_unused)
 {
-	int status = -1;
 	char errbuf[BUFSIZ];
 	struct perf_top top = {
 		.count_filter	     = 5,
@@ -1165,6 +1164,10 @@ int cmd_top(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix __maybe_unused)
 		"perf top [<options>]",
 		NULL
 	};
+	int status = hists__init();
+
+	if (status < 0)
+		return status;
 
 	top.evlist = perf_evlist__new();
 	if (top.evlist == NULL)
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/builtin-test.c b/tools/perf/tests/builtin-test.c
index ac655b0700e7648335cc15c45a560c80f35ae27c..162c978f1491a9e49dd6f37e1dd34ccb40d2a540 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/builtin-test.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/builtin-test.c
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 #include <unistd.h>
 #include <string.h>
 #include "builtin.h"
+#include "hist.h"
 #include "intlist.h"
 #include "tests.h"
 #include "debug.h"
@@ -302,6 +303,10 @@ int cmd_test(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix __maybe_unused)
 	OPT_END()
 	};
 	struct intlist *skiplist = NULL;
+        int ret = hists__init();
+
+        if (ret < 0)
+                return ret;
 
 	argc = parse_options(argc, argv, test_options, test_usage, 0);
 	if (argc >= 1 && !strcmp(argv[0], "list"))
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/evsel.c b/tools/perf/util/evsel.c
index a0837642744862b792a51165cee7f2fc6320cb1a..7a3c4c47ceda3f0ba3d4414c8d5f7f8d689b9fc2 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/evsel.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/evsel.c
@@ -159,16 +159,6 @@ void perf_evsel__calc_id_pos(struct perf_evsel *evsel)
 	evsel->is_pos = __perf_evsel__calc_is_pos(evsel->attr.sample_type);
 }
 
-void hists__init(struct hists *hists)
-{
-	memset(hists, 0, sizeof(*hists));
-	hists->entries_in_array[0] = hists->entries_in_array[1] = RB_ROOT;
-	hists->entries_in = &hists->entries_in_array[0];
-	hists->entries_collapsed = RB_ROOT;
-	hists->entries = RB_ROOT;
-	pthread_mutex_init(&hists->lock, NULL);
-}
-
 void __perf_evsel__set_sample_bit(struct perf_evsel *evsel,
 				  enum perf_event_sample_format bit)
 {
@@ -211,7 +201,6 @@ void perf_evsel__init(struct perf_evsel *evsel,
 	evsel->unit	   = "";
 	evsel->scale	   = 1.0;
 	INIT_LIST_HEAD(&evsel->node);
-	hists__init(&evsel->hists);
 	perf_evsel__object.init(evsel);
 	evsel->sample_size = __perf_evsel__sample_size(attr->sample_type);
 	perf_evsel__calc_id_pos(evsel);
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/evsel.h b/tools/perf/util/evsel.h
index d6325106c8fd4d8b45dea14d954a506e7a8f19d6..fee927404720a16797b4b1981575ee95f6c17cb5 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/evsel.h
+++ b/tools/perf/util/evsel.h
@@ -8,7 +8,6 @@
 #include <linux/types.h>
 #include "xyarray.h"
 #include "cgroup.h"
-#include "hist.h"
 #include "symbol.h"
 
 struct perf_counts_values {
@@ -66,7 +65,6 @@ struct perf_evsel {
 	struct perf_counts	*prev_raw_counts;
 	int			idx;
 	u32			ids;
-	struct hists		hists;
 	char			*name;
 	double			scale;
 	const char		*unit;
@@ -100,13 +98,6 @@ union u64_swap {
 	u32 val32[2];
 };
 
-#define hists_to_evsel(h) container_of(h, struct perf_evsel, hists)
-
-static inline struct hists *evsel__hists(struct perf_evsel *evsel)
-{
-	return &evsel->hists;
-}
-
 struct cpu_map;
 struct thread_map;
 struct perf_evlist;
@@ -290,8 +281,6 @@ static inline int perf_evsel__read_scaled(struct perf_evsel *evsel,
 	return __perf_evsel__read(evsel, ncpus, nthreads, true);
 }
 
-void hists__init(struct hists *hists);
-
 int perf_evsel__parse_sample(struct perf_evsel *evsel, union perf_event *event,
 			     struct perf_sample *sample);
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/hist.c b/tools/perf/util/hist.c
index b143e404e5b135e90b841a1a2414bb383476ebe8..6e88b9e395df67abb0458eea80878112acab0b0a 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/hist.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/hist.c
@@ -1447,3 +1447,31 @@ int perf_hist_config(const char *var, const char *value)
 
 	return 0;
 }
+
+static int hists_evsel__init(struct perf_evsel *evsel)
+{
+	struct hists *hists = evsel__hists(evsel);
+
+	memset(hists, 0, sizeof(*hists));
+	hists->entries_in_array[0] = hists->entries_in_array[1] = RB_ROOT;
+	hists->entries_in = &hists->entries_in_array[0];
+	hists->entries_collapsed = RB_ROOT;
+	hists->entries = RB_ROOT;
+	pthread_mutex_init(&hists->lock, NULL);
+	return 0;
+}
+
+/*
+ * XXX We probably need a hists_evsel__exit() to free the hist_entries
+ * stored in the rbtree...
+ */
+
+int hists__init(void)
+{
+	int err = perf_evsel__object_config(sizeof(struct hists_evsel),
+					    hists_evsel__init, NULL);
+	if (err)
+		fputs("FATAL ERROR: Couldn't setup hists class\n", stderr);
+
+	return err;
+}
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/hist.h b/tools/perf/util/hist.h
index ebfc25886cac56546e49461438f1a31c8e74dbb8..d0ef9a19a7445caaf7bdc1d21b42ea2d1087a2a9 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/hist.h
+++ b/tools/perf/util/hist.h
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 #include <linux/types.h>
 #include <pthread.h>
 #include "callchain.h"
+#include "evsel.h"
 #include "header.h"
 #include "color.h"
 #include "ui/progress.h"
@@ -158,6 +159,25 @@ void hists__calc_col_len(struct hists *hists, struct hist_entry *he);
 void hists__match(struct hists *leader, struct hists *other);
 int hists__link(struct hists *leader, struct hists *other);
 
+struct hists_evsel {
+	struct perf_evsel evsel;
+	struct hists	  hists;
+};
+
+static inline struct perf_evsel *hists_to_evsel(struct hists *hists)
+{
+	struct hists_evsel *hevsel = container_of(hists, struct hists_evsel, hists);
+	return &hevsel->evsel;
+}
+
+static inline struct hists *evsel__hists(struct perf_evsel *evsel)
+{
+	struct hists_evsel *hevsel = (struct hists_evsel *)evsel;
+	return &hevsel->hists;
+}
+
+int hists__init(void);
+
 struct perf_hpp {
 	char *buf;
 	size_t size;