The greatest frontman of all time, according to Dave Grohl
There is a world of difference between a vocalist capable of hitting any note in the comfort of a recording studio and a frontman who can cast their spell over an entire stadium. In an ideal world, a singer should be able to do both of the above with aplomb, but it’s easier said than done. While Dave Grohl is undoubtedly an iconic rock frontman, he’s not deluded enough to think he’s the greatest to ever do it in history.
Drumming was his first love, and Grohl had to take a crash course to learn how to become a frontman when he began life with Foo Fighters. It was never his intention to lead a band, and the decision to form the group was born out of tragic circumstances following the passing of Kurt Cobain. Foo Fighters was initially intended to be a vessel for his solo material as the idea of being in a band again was too painful, but 30 years later, they remain an unstoppable rock behemoth.
Working with Cobain in Nirvana was an apprenticeship for Grohl, even if he didn’t know it at the time. Night after night, the drummer had the best seat in the house to watch Cobain’s craftsmanship. However, originality is the most vital ingredient as an artist, and Cobain was an inimitable force of nature that’ll never be seen again. As a result, Grohl has been his own man as a frontman with authenticity at his core. Audiences have a tendency to see straight through phoniness, but it’s also necessary to ramp things up to 11 like the late Queen frontman Freddie Mercury. From Grohl’s perspective, he was the greatest frontman ever, and nobody has come close to matching his greatness.
Mercury was a one-off who was born to be on the same stage. While he could often be shy or reserved in a social setting, his true self came to life when he performed with Queen and wore his famous yellow jacket. Although many have tried to replicate his stage presence, Mercury was an enigma that the rock world will never see again.
Grohl’s late bandmate Taylor Hawkins was a Queen superfan who regularly shoehorned his love of the band into Foo Fighters shows. They often covered ‘Somebody To Love’ in their live sets, with Hawkins trotting out his best Mercury impression while Grohl deputised on drums. Brian May was flattered by the cover, telling Planet Rock: “That was always a shock to me because he (Hawkins) seemed to be a lot cooler than we were. I think Taylor Hawkins single-handedly made Queen cool to a new generation. He knew everything about us… everything!”
Grohl and Hawkins read from the same hymn book about most things, including Mercury’s brilliance. The Foo Fighters singer believes everybody with ambitions to make it in music should watch Queen’s performance at Live Aid to become a frontman and carefully study every detail of Mercury’s crowning moment. “Every band should study Queen at Live Aid,” he once said.
Adding: “If you really feel like that barrier is gone, you become Freddie Mercury. I consider him the greatest frontman of all time. Like, it’s funny? You’d imagine that Freddie was more than human, but… you know how he controlled Wembley Stadium at Live Aid in 1985? He stood up there and did his vocal warm-ups with the audience. Something that intimate, where they realise, ‘Oh yeah, he’s just a f***ing dude’.”
Queen stole the show at Live Aid, thanks to Mercury. 40 years later, it remains a vital part of rock folklore and will continue to be discussed for the rest of human existence. Although his life was cut painfully short when he still had so much to give the world, Mercury built a legacy that will never be forgotten. While he wasn’t the greatest songwriter in the world, his unrivalled presence made him a magnetic force that captivated anybody who witnessed him perform.
