Dave Grohl Is the Live Performer We Deserve

In praise of the Foo Fighters frontman’s unflappable devotion to his fans.

Let’s face it: Often, the worst part about seeing your favorite band is seeing your favorite band.


Ask fans of Kanye West: the “greatest living rock star on the planet” once threw a hissy fit and stormed off stage amid technical difficulties at Toronto’s Pan Am games. Or Lil’ Wayne, who left fans in the lurch when his DJ played the wrong track at a college show in Florida.

No matter how talented your musical idol is, there’s always a chance that they’ll act like a diva and bail at the drop of a hat. 


Not Dave Grohl. With all the amazing moments that happen every time he tours, the Foo Fighters frontman, who turns 51 on January 14th, shows his fellow musicians what real devotion to fans looks like.

Example: During a show in Greenwood Village, Colorado, Grohl pulled a fan on stage and serenaded him with “My Hero,” reducing a grown man to tears of joy within minutes.

Then there was that time Grohl brought fans on-stage for a cover of Rush classic “Tom Sawyer.” 

And just a few weeks before that, Grohl responded to an amazing fan-made video featuring 1,000 Italian fans playing a massive cover of “Learn to Fly,”—a plea for the band to come to the city of Cesena, Italy. And he responded in Italian. 

Keep in mind that all of these incidents occurred a few months after Grohl broke his leg during show in Sweden. The band was forced to cancel a handful of shows following the accident, but Grohl was determined to go on. 

“You have always stood by our band, and we will always stand by you,” he said in a message announcing the cancellations. “Like I say at every show, we wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you guys.”


Thank God for Dave Grohl. In a world where great entertainers often succumb to narcissism and self-obsession, leaving their loyal fans in the dust, he’s a reminder of what it means to be a live performer.