Foo Fighters

From their origins as Dave Grohl’s one-man endeavor, Foo Fighters evolved into a major force in contemporary rock through melody-driven alt-rock songs brimming with character. Grohl’s self-produced first album scored a breakthrough upon its 1995 arrival, prompting him to assemble a complete group whose chemistry solidified following the 1997 arrival of The Colour and the Shape. By the time 1999’s There Is Nothing Left to Lose appeared, the quartet had honed a distinctive approach rooted in the hook-laden loud-quiet-loud approach associated with Pixies and Nirvana, yet grounded in Grohl’s affinity for timeless guitar-based rock. Few contemporaries matched their sustained intensity, as they maintained a nonstop cycle of recording and roadwork well into the 2020s, accumulating chart-topping releases, several Grammy victories, and eventual entry into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2021. Such nonstop momentum also opened doors for stylistic detours, from the two-disc expanse of 2005’s In Your Honor and the city-by-city chronicle of 2014’s Sonic Highways to the upbeat, groove-oriented anthems that defined 2021’s Medicine at Midnight. That same discipline helped the band navigate profound loss after drummer Taylor Hawkins died suddenly in 2022, leading Grohl and his colleagues to channel their grief into the following year’s Grammy-nominated But Here We Are, a direct tribute to their fallen bandmate.

Grohl’s commitment to constant creation traces back to years spent playing guitar and composing long before he ever sat behind a drum kit. As a teenager he cycled through numerous hardcore punk outfits, then joined the Washington, D.C.-area band Scream on drums in the late ’80s. During Scream’s final period, he began laying down original material at friend Barrett Jones’s basement studio, and several of those pieces surfaced on the group’s last album, Fumble. After Scream’s 1990 summer tour concluded, Grohl relocated to Seattle to become Nirvana’s drummer.

Once Nirvana finished Nevermind, Grohl returned briefly to the D.C. region and cut several tracks later collected on the Simple Machines cassette Pocketwatch. Most of 1992 was consumed by Nirvana commitments, yet whenever the band was off the road he continued solo sessions with Jones, who had also settled in Seattle. The two kept working through early 1993, pausing only when Grohl rejoined Nirvana to track In Utero. He considered issuing another independent cassette that summer, but those plans never materialized. After Kurt Cobain’s 1994 suicide, Grohl remained silent for months. In fall of that year he and Jones booked professional studio time and, in roughly a week, laid down the material that became Foo Fighters’ debut. Selecting roughly fifteen songs from his accumulated stockpile, Grohl performed every instrument himself. He pressed one hundred copies of the resulting tape and distributed them among friends and industry contacts, instantly sparking an intense bidding war among labels.

Rather than pursuing a solo path, Grohl chose to build a band. Through his wife he connected with bassist Nate Mendel of Sunny Day Real Estate; shortly beforehand, that group’s singer Jeremy Enigk had embraced Christianity and departed, effectively dissolving the band. Mendel came aboard, as did Sunny Day drummer William Goldsmith. Former Germs and Nirvana guitarist Pat Smear completed the initial roster. Naming themselves after a rumored World War II research unit that investigated UFO sightings, the new quartet signed with Capitol Records. Their self-titled debut—composed entirely of Grohl’s earlier solo recordings—emerged in July 1995 and quickly caught fire in the States, propelled by heavy airplay for “This Is a Call.” The album reached platinum certification in the U.S. by early 1996.

Foo Fighters spent 1996 on the road supporting the record and scored a crossover success with “Big Me.” Late that year they entered the studio with producer Gil Norton for a second album. During those sessions Goldsmith departed amid creative friction, forcing Grohl to handle most drum duties. Before the album’s release, Taylor Hawkins—previously behind the kit for Alanis Morissette—took Goldsmith’s place. Issued in May 1997, The Colour and the Shape marked the band’s first fully collaborative effort. Smear exited after the album’s completion and was briefly replaced by guitarist Franz Stahl; by 1999’s There Is Nothing Left to Lose the lineup had slimmed to a trio, with ex-No Use for a Name guitarist Chris Shiflett joining shortly thereafter.

The most refined production to date, One by One, surfaced in late 2002 and was followed in 2005 by In Your Honor, which came within a hair of topping the Billboard album chart. After the 2006 live set Skin and Bones, the band reunited with Norton to craft a dozen eclectic, jagged rock tracks released in 2007 as Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace. Two years later they issued their first retrospective, Greatest Hits, while Grohl simultaneously formed the supergroup Them Crooked Vultures alongside Queens of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme and Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones. Foo Fighters reconvened for 2011’s Wasting Light, a Butch Vig production that also signaled Pat Smear’s return to the studio for the first time since 1997. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, earned gold status domestically, and brought the band four additional Grammy Awards. In its wake came a limited-edition covers collection, Medium Rare, issued for Record Store Day 2011, plus the documentary Back and Forth, after which the group toured extensively into 2012.

That year Foo Fighters declared a temporary break, allowing Grohl to join Queens of the Stone Age for their 2013 release …Like Clockwork. He also directed a documentary on the historic Los Angeles studio Sound City; the film premiered to strong notices in early 2013 and was accompanied by the soundtrack Sound City: Real to Reel, featuring Grohl-led collaborations with various Sound City alumni and Paul McCartney. Not long afterward the band ended its hiatus and began work on fresh material. Released late in 2014, Sonic Highways represented their most ambitious undertaking yet: each song was tracked in a different city, often with notable guests, a process captured in an eight-part HBO documentary series. International release followed in early November. During the ensuing world tour, Foo Fighters became the final act to perform on The Late Show with David Letterman on May 24, 2015. Shortly thereafter, Grohl broke his leg after falling from the stage in Sweden and finished the remaining dates—now dubbed the “Broken Leg Tour”—seated on a throne.

In late 2015, as both a thank-you to fans and a tribute to victims of the Paris attacks, the band issued the five-song Saint Cecilia EP, featuring contributions from Gary Clark Jr. and Ben Kweller. The release climbed into the Top 20 on several Billboard charts, including Hard Rock, Alternative, Tastemaker, and Vinyl. Soon after, Foo Fighters announced another indefinite pause, returning only in 2017 with the single “Run,” the first preview of their ninth album, Concrete and Gold. Produced by Greg Kurstin and released that September, the record incorporated prog-rock touches and included guest appearances by Paul McCartney on drums, saxophonist Dave Koz, Boyz II Men’s Shawn Stockman, and the Kills’ Alison Mosshart on backing vocals. It topped the rock charts and became the band’s second number-one debut on the Billboard 200.

Extensive touring filled 2017 and 2018, including a Glastonbury headline slot. By 2019 the group had returned to the studio, working once more with Kurstin inside a historic Encino house. Originally slated for 2020, Medicine at Midnight was postponed by the COVID-19 pandemic, though lead single “Shame Shame” arrived in November 2020 and topped the mainstream rock chart. Follow-up tracks “No Son of Mine” and “Waiting on a War” preceded the album’s eventual February 2021 release. In March 2022 Foo Fighters played several South American dates, capping the run with a Lollapalooza Argentina headline on March 20. On the morning of March 25, Taylor Hawkins was discovered deceased in his Bogotá hotel room at age fifty, just hours before the band was scheduled to perform.

Late in 2022, Foo Fighters declared their intention to continue. Grohl and his remaining members processed Hawkins’s absence on But Here We Are, an album that occasionally recalled the raw spirit of the band’s 1995 debut while showcasing the meticulous production of returning collaborator Greg Kurstin. The record received Grammy nominations for Best Rock Album and Best Rock Performance at the 66th annual ceremony.