Was there a single person in this field that doesn’t want this Foo Fighters gig to be an absolute triumph? It has everything of a classic: a not-so-subtle teaser campaign when it first initially billed as the mysterious group, The Churnups; the band’s first gigs in the UK since their tribute gigs to late drummer Taylor Hawkins last September; their return to Worthy Farm after eight years (notwithstanding Dave Grohl’s appearance last year with headliner Paul McCartney). The cynics will always snark, but judging by the gigantic crowd they pull on the Pyramid Stage in the blazing late-afternoon sun: nope, not one.
Such is the goodwill the band have accumulated over their many times here at Glastonbury. And following the release of ‘But Here We Are’, the band’s first album following Hawkins’ death in 2022, there’s added poignancy with every song and moment. It may well be the first time Dave Grohl has been required to shut up and play the hits: their hour run-time puts to bed any stretch-out jams or story times. It’s refreshingly zippy for a Foos show.
Nine songs is what they have time for, the quickest, breeziest Foo Fighters gig of this scale in donkeys. It’s a rare sight: serious urgency underpins every song, particularly opener ‘All My Life’ and ‘No Son of Mine’. Even ‘Learn To Fly’ and ‘The Pretender’, the latter of which does get broken down and built back up, marching onwards along with pep and energy. “I’ll make it short, they gave us one hour so we’ve got to fucking pack it in,” Grohl warns. Josh Freese, the band’s new drummer, sets a furious pace, continuing his integration into the band’s nucleus. Watching side of stage is Guns N’Roses guitarist Slash, who is the beneficiary of a dedication from Grohl and guitarist Chris Shiflett.
There’s sentimentality, of course. It coincides with the 25th anniversary of the band’s first appearance at the festival even down the stage and slot; then, Grohl was reeling from the loss of Nirvana bandmate Kurt Cobain – now, Hawkins and his late mother. The latter of which is touchingly paid tribute to with daughter Grohl, who takes on backing vocals for ‘Show Me How’, dedicated to their lost matriarch.
Now, there’s unfinished business for the band. The band tease a return to the UK and potentially even Glastonbury. By the end of the Hawkins-dedicated ‘Everlong’, there’s not a person in the field who wouldn’t want them back. See you back here in 2048?
Foo Fighters played:
‘All My Life’
‘No Son of Mine’
‘Learn to Fly’
‘Rescued’
‘The Pretender’
‘My Hero’
‘Show Me How’
‘Best of You’
‘Everlong’