Why are Foo Fighters playing Nine Inch Nails song ‘March of the Pigs’ live?
To anybody who has been tracking Foo Fighters setlists over their most recent tour, a fascinating song seems to be finding a home in the band’s live show. It’s not classic Foo Fighters tracks like ‘Best of You’ or ‘Everlong’, which are played every single night with only small exceptions. It’s not even beloved deep cuts like ‘Weenie Beanie’ or ‘Enough Space’. In fact, it’s not a Foo Fighters song at all.
According to most setlists, the Foos have been busting out Nine Inch Nails’ ‘March of the Pigs’ at their most recent shows. If you look at the band’s performance closing out the 2023 Bonnaroo Music Festival, ‘March of the Pigs’ seems like it gets played in a medley along with Beastie Boys’ ‘Sabotage’ and Michael Bublé’s ‘Haven’t Met You Yet’. Surely the best hard rock band in the land isn’t turning into a lounge-pop group, right?
The truth at the heart of these wacky setlists lies in the format of the band’s concerts. About halfway through each show, Dave Grohl introduces each of the band members and gives them a platform to solo for a bit. Lead guitarist Chris Shiflett has busted out the iconic tapping solo from Van Halen’s ‘Eruption’, keyboardist Rami Jaffee has indulged in the organ-heavy sounds of Boston’s ‘Foreplay’, and perhaps most famously, late drummer Taylor Hawkins was known to take on Queen’s ‘Somebody to Love’ during his solo spotlight.
With a new lineup for the band comes some new songs to cover. New Foo Fighters drummer Josh Freese has one of the most impressive resumes in the history of music, with stints backing up everyone from Guns ‘N Roses to Avril Lavigne to Evanescence. Freese had made quite a living as a session drummer while working up an eclectic list of former clients, some of which have been referenced in recent Foo Fighters concerts (hence the Bublé cover).
One of those former clients was Trent Reznor, who hired Freese to become a member of Nine Inch Nails in 2005. Freese toured with Nine Inch Nails from 2005 to 2008, even contributing some drum tracks to the band’s 2007 album Year Zero. Freese isn’t the only Foo Fighters member with a direct connection to NIN – Dave Grohl contributed drum tracks to the band’s 2005 LP With Teeth.
So when Freese gets the go-ahead to show off some of his skills, ‘March of the Pigs’ is one of his go-to options. Another is Devo’s ‘Whip It’, since Freese has been a member of the Akron new wave pioneers since 1996. Here are some other songs that Freese could bust out if he feels the uncontrollable urge: A Perfect Circles’ ‘3 Libras’, 3 Doors Down’s ‘When I’m Gone’, Kelly Clarkson’s ‘Low’, and Puddle of Mudd’s ‘She Hates Me’, the latter of which Grohl joked about at Bonnaroo.
Check out Foo Fighters’ brief version of ‘March of the Pigs’ down below.
