A bunch of lucky Californian fans were treated to something truly special over the weekend, with the Foo Fighters taking to the stage on Sunday to deliver a surprise pop-up show full of deep cuts and rarities.
In just over a month, the Foo Fighters are set to take to the stage in California as part of their Cal Jam 18 festival. With a huge number of acts on the bill, including Iggy Pop, Billy Idol, Garbage, Tenacious D, and Australia’s own Gang Of Youths, it’s looking to be a pretty huge event. So it makes sense that the Foo Fighters are getting themselves warmed up nice and early.
As Rolling Stone reports, members of the Foo Fighters took to the stage as part of a surprise pop-up show on Sunday afternoon in the parking lot of the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles.
Billed as a set by Chevy Metal With The Holy Shits, and only confirmed to be a Foo Fighters gig half an hour before gates opened, drummer Taylor Hawkins appeared first, performing with his Chevy Metal covers band in a set that consisted of nothing but classic tunes.
Kicking off with tracks by the likes of Thin Lizzy, The Rolling Stones, and The Knack, Hawkins welcomed a number of his bandmates onstage, including Chris Shiflett and Rami Jaffee for ‘Miss You’, and Pat Smear for a rendition of Queen’s ‘Tie Your Mother Down’.
However, it was the next song that drew the most attention, with Queen drummer Roger Taylor coming out on stage to help out with a cover of ‘Under Pressure’ – a staple of most Foo Fighters gigs.
“We have one more special guest,” Hawkins asked the crowd. “Can you guess who it is?” Soon, Taylor took over percussion duties as Hawkins moved to the front to take on Freddie Mercury’s vocals, while Chevy Metal’s Wiley Hodgden performed David Bowie’s vocal parts.
To close the set, the band welcomed the familiar face of Dave Grohl to the stage, who helped out on the group’s cover of Faces’ ‘Stay With Me’. Grohl’s appearance segued into the main event, which saw the Foo Fighters perform as The Holy Shits to deliver a series of rarities and deep cuts for their dedicated fans.
With Dave Grohl welcoming fans to “Foo Fighters nerd heaven”, the band played through a ten-song set that consisted of early tracks, tunes that hadn’t been played in years, and even a rendition of the brilliant ‘Hey, Johnny Park!’.
Of course, as is tradition with all Foo Fighters shows, the group finished off proceedings with a performance of ‘Everlong’, giving those in attendance something to remember forever, and those who missed out something to regret for a very long time.
Check out footage the Foo Fighters’ pop-up show:
Chevy Metal @ Hollywood Palladium, Los Angeles, USA 26/08/2018 Setlist
Jailbreak’ (Thin Lizzy cover)
‘Bitch’ (The Rolling Stones cover)
‘My Sharona’ (The Knack cover)
‘The Wizard’ (Black Sabbath cover)
‘Miss You’ (The Rolling Stones cover)
‘Tie Your Mother Down’ (Queen cover)
‘Under Pressure’ (Queen cover) (with Roger Taylor)
‘Stay With Me’ (The Faces cover) (with Dave Grohl)
The Holy Shits (a.k.a. the Foo Fighters) @ Hollywood Palladium, Los Angeles, USA 26/08/2018 Setlist
‘White Limo’
‘Wattershed’
‘Congregation’
‘Gimme Stitches’
‘Weenie Beenie’
‘Low’
‘Hey, Johnny Park!’
‘Alone + Easy Target’
‘New Way Home’
Encore:
‘Everlong’
