Now more than a year removed from the tragic death of drummer Taylor Hawkins, the Foo Fighters return this summer with a heap of headlining festival gigs spanning four continents. Bonnaroo, Boston Calling and Riot Fest are all on the stateside docket, as are Japan’s Fuji Rock, Germany’s Rock AM Ring and a pair of monster performances in Brazil.
The roadshow will feature Josh Freese, well-traveled session and touring vet (Weezer, Nine Inch Nails), on the kit, as the band confirmed during a streaming event Sunday. The schedule kicks off Wednesday, May 24, in Gilford, New Hampshire. As Dave Grohl and company soldier on, celebrating one of the most successful rock careers of the last 30 years — plus the upcoming June 2 release of their bittersweet 11th album But Here We Are — it’s time to get nerdy with the Foos’ hit-filled catalog.
Sure, there are the dozen or more raging standards every fan expects at a Foo Fighters show, but what about the rest of the rather prolific songbook — the stuff that holds up but doesn’t always make it to stage? And of course, as the band has consistently dropped worthy records since its debut in ‘95, there’s value in the newer cuts, too.
With all of this taken into consideration, we’ve devised what would make for the most epic Foo Fighters concert that could possibly exist in 2023, showcasing where they’ve been, who they are and where they’re going. This crop of tunes caters to fans both casual and deeply committed and delivers some deserved surprises.
While this list of 24 songs may run a bit longer than the average Foo Fighters festival set — we’d clock this in between two and two-and-a-half hours — few bands are better at blasting past their sky-high expectations. Also, it’s our dream set and we do what we want. Let’s break it down!
