The last man standing

Editor’s note: Foo Fighters were born in the desolate post-grunge landscape, alongside a host of fellow pretenders who would go on to form the ‘modern rock’ movement of the ’90s and 2000s. While the others fell by the wayside, Foo Fighters—fronted by Nirvana’s Dave Grohl—kept scaling new heights. With the band all set to make their debut in India in 2027, Narendra Kusnur tracks their remarkable journey and speaks to desi die-hards to understand India’s fascination with Foo Fighters and Grohl. (PS: we also have a smashing playlist taking us from grunge all the way to the 2020s.)

Written by: Narendra Kusnur 

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Some 35 years ago, he played drums for one of the most popular rock groups from Seattle, US. The band’s frontman died in 1994, but everyone remembers them as one of the pioneers of the grunge sound. Let’s listen to one of their most popular songs, and especially look at the drummer.

Every rock fan would recognise Nirvana’s ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’, which remains an anthem even today. What’s interesting is that after its vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain’s death, drummer Dave Grohl began recording his own songs on vocals, guitar, bass, and drums. He called the project Foo Fighters, which was a term used by Allied pilots in World War II to describe strange serial phenomena. Slowly, he expanded the band. Even today, the Foo Fighters attract packed venues around the world, with a dozen albums under their belt. To demonstrate their longevity, let’s check out two songs from extreme phases of their stint—‘Everlong’ from the 1997 record The Colour And The Shape, and ‘Of All People’, released earlier this year in Your Favourite Toy.

Both songs are likely to be played when the Foo Fighters arrive on their maiden visit to India early next year. They will perform in Bengaluru on January 29, 2027 and Mumbai on January 31, 2027 as part of their Take Cover tour. Fans are obviously excited. Says Bengaluru guitarist Blesswin Winco, who did a Foo Fighters tribute show last year, “I’m really looking forward. I booked my tickets the moment they were announced.” Adds Zaosh Elavia, a Mumbai fan who saw the band perform live in Japan three years ago, “For us rock fans in our early 40s, the 1990s will always remain the peak of art and music in all forms. Few bands have sustained the momentum and energy of their live performances and stayed as true to their musical style as have the Foo Fighters.”

An example of their stage energy is evident in this live performance of ‘Stacked Actors’ at the Wembley Stadium, London, in 2008. It includes an unforgettable drum solo by Taylor Hawkins, who was with the band from 1997 until his death in 2022. 

In the world of modern rock, what makes the Foo Fighters so special? Before answering that, let’s take a brief look at the American rock scene in the early 1990s. As mentioned, Foo Fighters evolved from Nirvana, which had Cobain, Grohl, and bassist Krist Novoselic. Nirvana was one of the main figures in the Seattle grunge movement, which also included bands Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, Mudhoney, and Mother Love Bone. Of these, only the Eddie Vedder-fronted Pearl Jam is active to the day, having released its last album Dark Matter in 2024, though it has cut down its live performances. Alice In Chains vocalist Layne Staley passed away in 2002 and Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell in 2017. As examples of quintessential grunge, let’s listen to Pearl Jam’s ‘Even Flow’, from the 1991 album Ten, and Soundgarden’s ‘Rusty Cage’ from Badmotorfinger, released the same year.

The mid-1990s saw the arrival of the post-grunge genre, which, besides Seattle, incorporated other American cities. While Seattle produced Foo Fighters and Candlebox, the bands Creed, Collective Soul, Live, Staind, Matchbox Twenty, 3 Doors Down, and Puddle Of Mudd came from elsewhere in the US. Even Nickelback from Canada, Bush from the UK, and Silverchair from Australia were clubbed in this genre or under the broader alternative rock spectrum.

Post-grunge took the heavy guitar riffs, raspy vocals, and quiet-loud dynamics of original Seattle grunge, but used cleaner production and more radio-friendly, commercial songwriting. With MTV culture ruling, some songs were created with videos in mind. Let’s watch videos of two songs that exemplify that sound and image—‘December’ by Collective Soul, fronted by Ed Roland and part of their 1995 self-titled album, and ‘Selling The Drama’ from the 1994 album Throwing Copper by Live, led by Ed Kowalczyk. 

For its part, Foo Fighters started off recording as a Dave Grohl solo act, but soon he began touring with bassist Nate Mendel, second guitarist Pat Smear (who had also been touring with Nirvana), and drummer William Goldsmith. The self-titled debut album was released in June 1995, and on August 14, they appeared on David Letterman’s Late Show on CBS with their first single ‘This Is A Call’. Here’s the clip.

Ace advertising professional and theatre personality Rahul DaCunha, who has followed the 1990s rock scene closely, says the fact that Grohl played all the instruments himself on the debut album provides evidence of his multi-faceted talents. He says, “One must give credit to the fact that as a member of the three-piece Nirvana, he closely observed Kurt Cobain, who was a very unique musician who cut through the glam-metal scene with his grunge. Dave quietly watched all this. He’s often been asked if he wanted to contribute and he said no because Cobain was himself such a fabulous songwriter.”

It was only in The Colour And The Shape, the second Foo Fighters album released in 1997, that Grohl got in bassist Mendel and guitarist Smear on second guitar, playing the drums himself. The album had the popular songs ‘Everlong’, ‘Monkey Wrench’, and ‘My Hero’. As a quick recall, let’s play the official video of ‘Monkey Wrench’.

The Foo Fighters won their first Grammy award in 2001, bagging Best Rock Album for There Is Nothing Left To Lose, released in 1999. So far, It has won 15 Grammys, again winning Best Rock Album for One By One (released in 2002), Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace (2007), Wasting Light (2011), and Medicine At Midnight (2021). The Best Rock Song winners include ‘Walk’, ‘Run’, and ‘Waiting On A War’. Here’s the video of ‘Waiting On A War’, one of the highlights of Medicine At Midnight.

Most post-grunge bands failed to maintain their quality and fan following after a while. Some have even gone in for a change in sound, an example being Collective Soul, whose latest album Touch And Go is inspired by 1980s New Wave. But Foo Fighters has held its ground. In 2021, they were inducted into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame. Besides their regular Grammy haul, fans cite other reasons for their lasting impact. Says DaCunha, “Their music is very unusual. Because of Grohl’s love for the past, and his belief that he’s got to be a modern musician, he’s got a sound that appeals to generations across the board. Also you can’t typify his music saying it’s rock or alternative, as it cuts across genres.”

Strangely, compared to bands like Metallica and Guns N’ Roses, there have been fewer tributes to Foo Fighters in India. Besides Blesswin Winco, another Bengaluru group Psychodrama has done tributes. Winco’s gig took place at The Raft, Bangalore, in April 2025. He says that though he himself had many idols like Joe Satriani and Slash, he found Grohl’s guitaring more accessible when it came to playing songs. He points out, “I have wanted to pay tribute to acts I grew up on, and after doing one for Toto, I chose Foo Fighters. Besides being raw and alive, their songs have great melodies, which makes them accessible to listeners.”

For his set, Winco kept in mind the fact that Foo Fighters had huge stadium anthems like ‘My Hero’, ‘The Pretender’, ‘Everlong’, and ‘Learn To Fly’. He adds, “I also wanted to play songs like ‘St Cecilia’ and ‘Rope’, which are my favourites but don’t get the attention they deserve.” Check out the guitars on ‘Rope’, from the 2011 album Wasting Light.

Grohl’s own personality and stage presence has made him a favourite among modern rock audiences. He’s also known for his collaborations, as he played drums with the group Them Crooked Vultures with vocalist-guitarist Josh Homme and bassist John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin fame, with guitarist Alain Johannes joining on tours. On stage, Foo Fighters has teamed up with Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page, and even Queen’s guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor. Let’s watch him in action with the Queen boys at Hyde Park, London, in 2006, followed by a performance of Them Crooked Vultures’ ‘Gunman’ at Fuji Rock, Japan, in 2010.

While Grohl had his own following, drummer Taylor Hawkins was considered an icon. Interestingly, he earlier played with Canadian star Alanis Morissette. DaCunha says that since Grohl was a drummer himself, it was quite a decision to take Hawkins to do the job. He adds, “What Hawkins brings to the party is a solid dependability. He’s not a flashy drummer, and his drumming doesn’t stand out in the albums, but you take away his drums and the songs become much weaker.”

After Hawkins’ death in 2022, Josh Freese, who had an earlier stint with Guns N’ Roses, took over till 2025. The current drummer is Ilan Rubin, who once had a long stint with Trent Reznor’s Nine Inch Nails and has played on the new Foo Fighters album Your Favourite Toy.

While many rock buffs are looking forward to seeing the Foo Fighters for the first time in India, Mumbai fan Zaosh Elavia recalls his 2023 visit to Fuji Rock. He says, “I planned my entire holiday in Japan to coincide with their show. I’ve been a follower of Grohl right from his work with Nirvana and the desire to see the band live was so strong that I booked my tickets a day after they announced their participation. What an experience it was to see them in a remote mountain resort.”

We’re sure fans in Bengaluru and Mumbai will have a great experience too. Besides the older classics, there should be a few songs from the last two albums But Here We Are and Your Favourite Toy. Let’s conclude by playing one old favourite—‘The Pretender’, from the 2007 album Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, and the live debut of ‘Asking For A Friend’ from the new album.

See you at one of the shows. As we always do, we conclude with a list of songs we have mentioned in the essay. You can also find them in this playlist.

Nirvana – Smells Like Teen Spirit

Foo Fighters – Everlong

Foo Fighters – Of All People

Foo Fighters – Stacked Actors

Pearl Jam – Even Flow

Soundgarden – Rusty Cage

Collective Soul – December

Live – Selling The Drama

Foo Fighters – This is a Call

Foo Fighters – Monkey Wrench

Foo Fighters – My Hero

Foo Fighters – Walk

Foo Fighters – Run

Foo Fighters – Waiting On A War

Foo Fighters – Learn To Fly

Foo Fighters – St Cecilia

Foo Fighters – Rope

Foo Fighters, with Brian May and Roger Taylor – We Will Rock You/ Tie Your Mother Down

Them Crooked Vultures – Gunman

Foo Fighters – The Pretender

Foo Fighters – Asking For A Friend

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Narendra Kusnur has been a music journalist for over 40 years—including a decade-long stint covering the beat at the Mid-Day newspaper. He currently writes for The Hindu, Free Press Journal, Hindustan Times, and Rolling Stone India—besides the in-house magazines of prestigious institutions—such as NCPA and Shanmukhananda Hall.