Though Foo Fighters have dates scheduled to honor late drummer Taylor Hawkins in September, Dave Grohl‘s first onstage musical appearance since Hawkins’ death on March 25 came over the weekend with frequent collaborator Paul McCartney.
The Beatles legend was one of the headliners for the 2022 edition of the Glastonbury Festival, performing at the Worthy Farm venue on Saturday night (June 25). As a festival headliner, it’s not surprising that he had a few guests lined up to join him for the evening, but Grohl’s live return was definitely a headline making event.
Once a member of Nirvana, Grohl dropped out of the spotlight for a period to mourn after the death of Kurt Cobain. The musician finally returned to playing by guesting on drums for Tom Petty during a Saturday Night Live appearance before eventually forming his new band Foo Fighters. And though Grohl’s path to return to live music had already been announced, the weekend guest appearance offered a way for the musician to do so without the spotlight being solely on him.
Earlier this year, Grohl attended the New Orleans Jazz Fest with Hawkins’ widow Alison as Red Hot Chili Peppers honored Hawkins, but the musician did not make an onstage appearance. Foo Fighters had been scheduled to headline the festival, with the Chili Peppers stepping in after Foo Fighters canceled all their dates following Hawkins death. So Grohl’s onstage return would come this weekend with McCartney.
Late in a set full of McCartney and Beatles favorites, Grohl was introduced fittingly just after McCartney played “Get Back.” “This guy flew in specially to do this,” McCartney said. “We love you,” “I swear, I would never miss being right here with you, right now,” Grohl replied.
The musician then joined McCartney and his band for performances of The Beatles’ “I Saw Her Standing There” and the Wings favorite “Band on the Run,” as can be seen in fan-shot video below.
Grohl then exited, with Bruce Springsteen taking center stage with McCartney on Springsteen’s “Glory Days” and “I Wanna Be Your Man.” Both Grohl and Springsteen would later return during the encore finale of “The End.”
The Foo Fighters frontman will be back in a familiar position in September when his band prepares to honor Hawkins with tribute shows in London and Los Angeles. Chris Chaney, Stewart Copeland, Liam Gallagher, Omar Hakim, Joshua Homme, Chrissie Hynde, Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Brian May, Mark Ronson, Supergrass, Roger Taylor, Rufus Taylor, Wolfgang Van Halen, Miley Cyrus, Joan Jett, Alanis Morissette, Gene Simmons, Nikki Sixx, Chad Smith, Luke Spiller, Jon Theodore,, Brad Wilk, Pat Wilson, Krist Novoselic, John Paul Jones, P!nk, Nandi Bushell, Nile Rodgers, Greg Kurstin, LeAnn Rimes, Alain Johannes and Nancy Wilson have all signed on to play either one or both of the shows, with Hawkins’ other band Chevy Metal also set to appear and comedians Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock joining the lineup in London. Get more info here.