When a furious Dave Grohl broke up a fight at a Foo Fighters concert
When we think of Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, we normally consider music’s resident sage, the last true rockstar who is keeping the flame of rock ‘n’ roll alive before it morphs into its next form amid a changing world and cultural tastes. For over 30 years, Grohl has been hailed as one of music’s nicest men, an artist who can sit down with anyone and talk the world away about anything from hardcore punk to literature and even disco.
His story is a well-known one. He was the teenager drummer of D.C. hardcore heroes Scream, who left school early to embark on a personal and creative discovery tour. The stories of this young but incredible drummer soon spread, and before too long, he found himself joining one of Seattle’s most revered outfits, Nirvana, and his skill and propensity to serve the song would prove to be the missing piece of the puzzle, augmenting the combined power of teenage friends Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic.
The trio’s first record, 1991’s Nevermind, became an overnight sensation, cementing their place in the history books, despite all three being in their early 20s. After Nirvana ended abruptly following Cobain’s tragic death in 1994, Grohl dug deep, and after a period out wandering aimlessly on the emotional and artistic heath, he returned with his new project Foo Fighters, and the rest was history. Dave Grohl wasn’t just a hero of the drums anymore, he was a bonafide icon.
Whilst we think of Grohl as being one of the most affable figures in rock, do not be fooled into believing his peaceful nature makes him a pushover, as he does not suffer fools lightly. One fan found himself on the receiving end of Grohl’s wrath during Foo Fighters’ set at the 2011 iTunes Festival at the Roundhouse in London, and it quickly became one of Dave Grohl’s most legendary moments.
In the middle of a song, Grohl spotted two fans fighting and quickly stopped proceedings to call out the aggressor. Screaming down the mic, he said: “You don’t fuckin’ fight at my show you asshole. Who’s that right there? Lemme see him, who’s fighting right now? Who’s fighting? Lemme see him. It’s that fucking guy in the striped shirt right there. Hey motherfucker, look at you, hey, look at me, hey in the striped shirt… get the fuck out of my show right now.”
Not giving this fan the time of day, or a second chance, as he was ruining it for everyone, Grohl channelled his inner punk, continuing: “You don’t come to my show and fight, you come to my show and fuckin’ dance you asshole.”
When the crowd started chanting his name in glee, Grohl wasn’t having any of it, telling them: “I don’t put up with that bullshit, you people come here to have a good time, that guy can fuck off.”
