After three decades together Foo Fighters never walk alone, and definitely won’t when they rock Liverpool next week. The band are marking their 30th anniversary with two massive gigs at the legendary Anfield Stadium this week on June 25 & 27.
When it was first announced Dave Grohl got on the phone to a local hero to ask for his advice - Sir Paul McCartney who told them: "Oh, you're going to have a blast.”
Ahead of those special shows bassist Nate Mendel - who has been alongside Grohl from the very start - reflects on their remarkable lasting power: "Thirty years is huge. I'm proud of everything we've accomplished. I'm glad we're still good at what we do and that we still enjoy it so much. I think it's important to remember why we make music, what the initial spark was.”
Dave Grohl and Nate during one of their Everlong gigs
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Dave Grohl and Nate during one of their Everlong gigs(Image: Getty Images)
The beauty of Foo Fighters is their relatability and Nate insists they haven’t changed since those early days. "I'm lucky to have found this group of musicians - we grew up in pretty similar environments, we have a lot of musical tastes in common, and we started out in music in a very similar way,” he shares.
"I like to think that we stay true to ourselves, and honestly, I'm sometimes surprised at how much we make something that reflects who we are.
"The music business is built on artists pretending to be someone else, putting on a show by transforming themselves.
Foo Fighters play Anfield this week
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Foo Fighters play Anfield this week
"When we go on stage, of course we're not exactly the same as when we go bowling with our friends, but it's still really us, raw, authentic, without any embellishment. I love that we've managed to maintain that all this time.”
Latest album, Your Favorite Toy is a return to their hard rocking roots and perfect for the scale of Anfield. "Our goal was to achieve a much more immediate sound,” admits Nate.
"We wanted to be able to get to our rehearsal space, plug into the amps, and recreate the track exactly as it appears on the album without having to think about it, without getting bogged down in details.” While the riffs are reassuringly primal, some of the lyrics are Grohl’s most personal and revealing.
Nate Medel says the Foos still have childlike wonder making music
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Nate Medel says the Foos still have childlike wonder making music(Image: Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)
It came as a shock to Nate: "I think this record clearly shows Dave's evolution as a lyricist. If you look at the debut album, he'll be the first to point out that the lyrics made no sense.
"Over the years, he's gained the confidence to reveal himself in his lyrics, to address subjects close to his heart...I really appreciate his vulnerability and frankness, which gives his lyrics more impact.”
Fans can expect all their favourite anthems from My Hero to Everlong, and plenty of surprise - stuff even the band don’t know yet. Nate laughs: “It's different every night depending on many factors like our mood, the venue, the audience... I never feel like I'm just playing the same thing over and over.
Dave Grohl is evolving as a lyricist say his bandmates
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Dave Grohl is evolving as a lyricist say his bandmates(Image: Anthony Harvey/REX/Shutterstock)
"Every night we challenge ourselves to give our best show -it might sound a bit silly, but it's true!” And the secret to their longevity is tapping into that childhood wonder: "We've kept the same mindset we had when we were kids - we want to go and play a concert, without worrying about how much money we'll get.
"It's so much better to get out of the house and play a show than to stay slumped on the sofa. We just have to be careful not to overdo it, not to bore people by constantly coming up with crazy ideas.
"We wouldn't want our audience to think, 'Oh no, not them again’.”
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