Dave Grohl Reveals His Foo Fighters Pre-Show Ritual
Does it often seem like the good times have already started when Foo Fighters hit the stage? There's a very good reason for that, as Dave Grohl revealed during a chat with Blink-182's Mark Hoppus for his After School Radio podcast on Apple Music Hits.
During their chat, Hoppus spoke with Grohl about whether or not the band had a pre-show ritual. Grohl started by revealing that his pre-show ritual might not be that obvious, telling Hoppus, "It's like one hour before the show, I open a Coors Light, and I'm like, 'Oh, hello darkness, my old friend.' But our dressing rooms are always filled with friends."
Grohl considers the hangs with friends and fellow musicians part of the pre-show routine. "That's the thing that I love the most," he says. "I'm going to miss it. We're not allowed to really have people backstage right now. But one of the things I love before going on, is just being happy. You're surrounded by all your friends. You haven't seen everyone in a long time, and you're doing shots of Crown Royal, and you're like, 'Yay.' And everyone's like… Taking pictures with each other. And it's like a reunion every night."
The singer also reveals he typically opens another beer right before going onstage, but the other portion of his pre-show ritual involves the mindset before playing.
He reveals, "To me, the best way to walk onstage every night is… Gus, he'll say, 'Okay, dude. Do you want house lights yet?' I'm like, 'Nah, not yet.' And I just wait until the entire band is laughing about something. And I'm like, 'All right, let's go.' So you walk onstage laughing. You feel happy when you walk onstage. To me, that's the best way to do it."
"Once you hit the stage, not only are you supercharged to kick everyone's, but you're in a good mood," says Grohl. "And it just feels like… I like it when it feels more like a cake party than a stadium show. That has to do with the vibe between the band and everyone."
So while the fans may sometimes need a few songs to catch up to the good vibes the band is presenting, the band is already in that mindset before a single note has been played.
Foo Fighters are currently on the road in support of their Medicine at Midnight album. The band is traveling to Alaska for their next three shows August 17-21 and they have scattered dates booked through the fall. See all of their scheduled stops here.