(Credits: Far Out / Alamy)
Fri 12 September 2025 4:00, UK
Very few people will ever actually know what it feels like to be a part of one of the biggest rock bands in the world in front of a devoted audience. Dave Grohl knows it well, but it may come as a surprise to learn that when he actually experienced this feeling, it wasn’t with Foo Fighters.
The Foos might be one of the most divisive bands that ever was. Billed by some as the ultimate dad rock and by others as quintessential rock ‘n’ roll, the Grohl-fronted band have had their share of critics. But Grohl is well aware of this, and yet very little can come along and actually stand in the way of his vision. An attitude that’s been there from the very beginning.
There’s a lot to be said about the band’s stage presence alone. It’s often one of those that convinces people just from witnessing their sets alone. Anyone not that into the Foos will surely leave live performances feeling like something has clicked, and it’s mostly down to the way Grohl just knows how to light a fire no matter what he’s doing.
Other rockers will look at someone like Grohl and wonder what his secret is. They’ll try to imitate some of the energy he brings out, though probably grow frustrated with their inability to captivate an audience in the same way he does. But in reality, it’s like this because there is no secret to it. As he once said, when advising aspiring bands on how to occupy the stage, “Go play live. Just play live.”
He went on to explain that the current state of the industry means there are people throwing things at you at all times. There’s a ridiculous influx of technology, some you need, some you don’t. There is so much that’s confusing about the business nowadays that it’s overwhelming. But what he did know was how important it is to trust feelings.
“I just know when you walk into a club and you see a band that blows you away, you are going to follow that band,” he said.
Weirdly, one of the few times Grohl actually felt this on top of the world – the way most people think he constantly feels whenever he’s on stage – wasn’t when he was in the Foos at all. This time, when he went on stage and felt like he could truly do anything, marching out like he really felt like somebody, was when he toured with Queens of the Stone Age.
Caveating his recollections with the value of being confident, he told Kerrang: “There’s a level of confidence that’s important when you play live. Most people get some sort of stage fright, but when I was in Queens Of The Stone Age, just walking onstage, we felt like a fucking brigade.”
He went on, “It sounds terrible, but we fucking knew that you were about to see something that you ain’t gonna see anywhere else. We were fearless, and I honestly feel like there wasn’t anything we couldn’t fucking do.” He also separately talked about the appeal of seeing Stone Age live, saying, “Everybody in the band is a fucking badass and they know it.”
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