Opening day for the Boston Red Sox is days away, but before anyone hits a homerun, the Foo Fighters, Jimmy Buffett and more will ring in baseball season with a music streaming event.

Fenway Sessions, a livestream benefitting the Red Sox Fund and Live Nation’s Crew Nation COVID-19 relief fund on July 22, will feature an archival performance from the Foo Fighters. Jimmy Buffett, Jefferson Starship and New Kids on the Block. The livestream will be hosted by Boston's own singer/songwriter Will Dailey and will take place a couple of days before the Red Sox's first game against the Baltimore Orioles on Friday, July 24. 

Concerts at Fenway Park, including from Lady Gaga, Maroon 5 and New Kids on the Block, have been rescheduled due to COVID-19, but thanks to Dailey, Red Sox President & CEO Sam Kennedy told Vanyaland, the virtual concert will be a great way to celebrate the season with music. 

"Will Dailey has been a close friend of mine for years and when he approached us with the idea to host an event that would celebrate music and Fenway Park, all while raising funds for charity, we were completely on board," Kennedy said. "Of course, this event would not be possible without our partners at Live Nation who have been instrumental in securing the talented artists who have graced the stage at Fenway Park since 2003. Once again, they have helped us deliver on an exceptional program, this time virtual, that pays tribute to music and our great ballpark."

Watch the livestream on Wednesday, July 22, at 7:05 p.m. EST/ 4 p.m. EST on Live Nation New England's Facebook.

23 Years After Forming, Pop-Punk Patriarchs New Found Glory Look Back On All 10 Of Their Albums

On Aug. 11-13, Outside Lands returned to San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park for the 15th time. The city's premiere multi-day music and food festival attracted approximately 75,000 daily attendees, and promoter Another Planet says that about half of the 225,000 ticket holders live outside the Bay Area. 

Though it takes place in the peak of summer, San Francisco in August is relatively cold and nicknamed "Fogust," which may have shocked any of the out of towners who showed up in shorts and barely-there tops.

The mild weather conditions meant that the true heat was left up to the performers  to generate, and the more than 90 acts happily delivered. Below, we recount seven of the sets that were worth braving the summer cold to witness.

Shaq Takes Day One Championship

Moonlighting as DJ Diesel, NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal apologized for starting his incredibly surprising set a few minutes late.

"Sorry I’m late, I was just hanging with Steph Curry and Draymond Green," he said, name checking the Golden State Warriors’ star players. He laced his banter with basketball metaphors and later brought out Warriors guard Gary Payton II to play Queen’s "We Are The Champions" in the team’s honor.

After dropping jaws by firing up aggressively, atonal EDM beats, he invited the crush of fans to come up on stage and "party with Diesel" one at a time. His set veered from Guns N Roses to Imogen Heap and he has to be the first DJ to call for a "ladies only mosh pit" while playing Aqua’s "Barbie World." 

When he threw a young blonde boy on his shoulders and they both pumped their fists in unison, it was everything — and that’s how a superhero DJs.

Janelle Monáe Celebrates The Fam

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With a towering stack of Jamaican sound system-styled speakers, giant beach balls, a towel-waisted band and swimsuited dancers, Janelle Monáe brought the sexy "Black Sugar Beach" and "Lipstick Lover" vibes of her new album The Age of Pleasure to the Lands End main stage, which she last graced in 2018. 

Monáe has since come out as nonbinary and greatly expanded her fanbase; at Outside Lands, she dedicated her performance to "my community, the LGBTQIA+ community," saying, "I love you so much. To be Black, to be queer, to be nonbinary, to evolve and to have family like you is a blessing."

Monáe’s natural charisma has only gotten sharper over time, and her dance moves are more infused with the quick steps of the Godfather of Soul James Brown and Prince. Her almost Rockettes-level line choreography with her dancers has leveled up as well.

This year’s Outside Lands also saw the debut of the LGBTQIA+-centric Dolores’ stage, which was powered all weekend by local party crews such as Hard French, Fake and Gay and Oasis. A highlight was Reparations, an all-Black drag show hosted by the incomparable Nicki Jizz, San Francisco’s serial Drag Queen of the Year (according to local publication 48 Hills) who wore a large penis hat that she claimed was true to her actual size. The most overtly queer-friendly edition of Outside Lands was something beautiful to continue and build on in the future.

Kendrick Lamar Brings The Friday Night Light

Last seen rapping to a small but rapturous crowd on a secondary stage at Outside Lands in 2015, Kendrick Lamar has grown immeasurably as a recording artist and live performer. Lamar commanded the Lands End stage, closing the festival’s first night with quietly assertive control and grace in a performance that felt like a rightful graduation. This veritable elder statesman slot has been previously held by major acts like Radiohead, Neil Young With Crazy Horse and Paul McCartney.

His 2022 album Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers featured prominently in the 21-song set, which included leftfield covers of Pusha T’s "Nosetalgia" and The Weeknd’s "Sidewalks." But Lamar knows that people still want to yell their lungs out to earlier cuts like "Swimming Pools (Drank)," "Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe," "m.A.A.d city," "HUMBLE." and "Alright" and he obliged.

Lana Del Rey Swings Back To Twin Peaks

Flower crowns were all the rage when Lana Del Rey made her Outside Lands debut in 2016 at Twin Peaks, the festival’s second largest stage. A new generation has since discovered the singer’s outsize character and vibe, and as the gates opened on Saturday, giddy groups of teenage girls rushed to park themselves at the edge of that very same stage to catch Del Rey’s big return to Golden Gate Park.

This time, Del Rey’s set included a projection that said "God Bless You San Francisco" and a giant swing woven with flowers that flung her into the air while she sang. Her set spanned her classics, like "Video Games" from 2012’s Born To Die, current hits, such as the title track from this year’s album Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd., and a loving cover of Tammy Wynette’s 1968 country hit "Stand By Your Man." 

Though she’s revered as an almost otherworldly figure and was an angelic vision in white, Del Rey doesn’t act untouchable in 2023 — in fact, she literally came down and touched some of those fans who waited all day for her.

Foo Fighters Come Out Crooning

"We’ve gotta fit 28 years into two f—ing hours!" Dave Grohl explained early in the Foo Fighters' set. It was a towering goal that they tackled with consummate ease, reaching back to hits such as "Times Like These" and "The Pretender" and showing the continuum through to recent songs like "Rescue."

After playing a few choice riffs of "Enter Sandman," it would have been less of a surprise to see a member of two-time Outside Lands headliner (and Bay Area natives) Metallica join them on stage than who actually came out for a cameo. After flying in from Argentina, Michael Bublé initially pretended to be a regular audience member before going onstage to sing his hit "Haven’t Met You Yet." 

The Foo-Bublé connection is fun and surprising: New drummer Josh Freese has also played for the Canadian crooner, and "Haven’t Met You Yet" is part of a medley that the Foo Fighters are doing on tour that is comprised of other bands Freese has supported (including Devo’s "Whip It" and Nine Inch Nails’ "March of the Pigs").

Of course, the late drummer Taylor Hawkins will always be a prominent part of the Foo Fighters and their shows, and they played "Aurora" in his memory. As the park’s Polo Field lit up in violet-colored lights, Grohl’s 17-year-old daughter Violet Grohl also joined to sing three songs with her father, which he said was his absolute favorite thing in the world to do. 

"I’m sure I’m embarrassing her right now!" he said.

Gabriels Tributes Tina Turner

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"We’re California boys, but this is our first time in San Francisco," shared Gabriels singer Jacob Lusk before turning the Sutro stage into the Church of Outside Lands, and instructing everyone to share some neighborly love.

The Los Angeles band has some meteoric fans: Elton John invited Lusk, whose early resume includes being a former "American Idol" contestant who was in a gospel group with the late Nate Dogg, to sing with him on stage at this year’s Glastonbury. Lusk’s incredible vocal range flexes from baritone to falsetto on a dime, and he frequently takes a step back from the microphone while singing, as if not to overwhelm it.

In a particularly touching moment, Gabriels performed Tina Turner’s "Private Dancer" while a montage of footage of Turner filled the screen.

Megan Thee Stallion Triumphs Over Tragedy

Fog flooded the park as a super snatched Megan Thee Stallion took to the stage in a hot Barbie pink outfit and long red hair, but she blazed through the haze with ground-sweeping twerking and saucy tracks like "Body," "Her," "WAP" and "Big Ole Freak." It was her first performance since Tory Lanez was sentenced to 10 years for shooting her, and she was feeling noticeably buoyant.

"F— all my haters!" she said in the middle of the set. "None of the s— you was doing or saying broke me." 

She received nothing but love from the crowd, and she was delighted by a big pocket of "boys" that she saw. Meg truly loves her "Hotties," and even stopped in between songs to sign someone’s graduation cap. A recent grad herself, she is proud of her fans who follow suit.

"Real college girl s—!" she exclaimed.

7 Blazing Sets From Rolling Loud Miami 2023: Travis Scott, Sexyy Red, Rae Sremmurd & More

It's unlikely you'll ever see New Kids On The Block's Hangin' Tough mentioned in the same influential breath as Pixies' Surfer Rosa, Public Enemy's It Takes A Nation of Millions and Tracy Chapman's self-titled debut. Yet like 1988's other game-changers, the Boston quintet's sophomore album was pivotal in shaping the musical landscape for the following decade and beyond.

Indeed, without its mix of gloopy ballads and slightly unconvincing attempts to establish street cred, the "Total Request Live" era would have looked and sounded very different. In fact, there maybe wouldn't have been a "TRL" era at all. And instead of having flowers thrown at him, Harry Styles may have ended up selling them.

Of course, New Kids On The Block — or NKOTB, as most of their adoring fans know them — weren't the first boy band.The Monkees for example, were specifically designed to replicate the teen-pop hysteriathe Beatles had whipped up organically. Family outfits the Osmonds andthe Jackson 5 might not have been manufactured, yet they relied just as much on their charming lead singer as their musical skills. And who can forgetMenudo, the Latin phenomenon who continually replaced members as soon as they hit 16 to retain their fresh-faced appeal?

But the New Kids were the first to set the template that would be applied to every group of all-singing, all-dancing guys who ever adorned the pages of Tiger Beat. There was the heartthrob (Jordan Knight), the cute one (Joey McIntyre, who was only 12 when he first joined), the older brother figure (Danny Wood), the bad boy (Donnie Wahlberg) and the sensitive one (Jonathan Knight). The tightly-choreographed routines, the air grabs, the willingness to pose without a shirt, the sharing of lead vocals (well, apart from poor Jonathan), the aversion to playing any instruments — pretty much every trope of the modern boy band stems from the Hangin' Tough era. Even so, the gang can't take all the credit.

NKOTB was the brainchild of Maurice Starr, a failed R&B singer who first realized the power of five in 1982 when he discovered another Boston outfit, New Edition. However, after producing and co-writing New Edition's self-titled debut, including U.K. No. 1 "Candy Girl," he was sacked, and not unreasonably, either. Returning home from a punishing tour, the youngsters learned their earnings amounted to little more than a measly $2 each. They subsequently, and successfully, sued their mentor for damages.

Undeterred, Starr simply set his sights on creating a rival group, and one that would dwarf his former's multi-platinum sales. This time around, though, he and business partner Mary Alford looked specifically for five Caucasian males: "I honestly believe that if they'd been white, [New Edition] would have been 20 times as big," Starr once toldEntertainment Weekly, perhaps explaining his new approach.

Initially, the American record-buying public appeared to be on Team New Edition. In the same year the R&B group's 1986 fourth album Under the Blue Moon and first taster "Earth Angel" both made the Top 50, New Kids' eponymous debut and its three singles failed to chart at all. In fact, NKOTB were on the verge of getting dropped by Columbia Records after "Please Don't Go Girl," the lead track from 1988 follow-up Hangin' Tough, was also met with a resounding shrug.

Luckily for the five-piece, a Florida pop station started championing the song in the nick of time — and thanks to a hastily reshot promo which better showed their poster appeal, other stations soon followed suit. Within a few weeks, New Kids had scored their first entry on the Hot 100 in October 1988, and Columbia — now sensing a new pop phenomenon on the horizon — started gearing up to release their second album.

Hangin' Tough entered theBillboard 200 at a lowly No. 157 in August later that year. But after  appearances on"Soul Train" and "Showtime at the Apollo," a support slot on Tiffany's U.S. tour (much to the "I Think We're Alone Now" singer's embarrassment, they were eventually bumped up to headliner) and growing word-of-mouth among the tween and teen crowd, it had climbed inside the Top 50 by the time its second single was sent to radio in November.

With its emphatic beats, chunky keyboards and woah-oh chants, "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" showcased a much harder edge than the bubblegum ballads NKOTB had initially tried to entice America's youth with. Its accompanying video — which combined footage of the band horsing around their hometown with belt-grabbing, leg-shuffling dance routines — further helped establish them as a crew rather than mere industry puppets, too.

As Donnie later told Variety, it was a change in direction informed by the group's school journeys to Roxbury from Dorchester: a court-mandated bussing system designed to desegregate Boston's black and white populations had helped expose them to new, cooler sounds. And second time around, they wanted to incorporate elements of funk, R&B and hip-hop into their own music.

Yet, Starr was still very much in the studio driving seat. Not only did he once again write and produce all 10 tracks, he'd repeatedly keep the youngsters on their toes by switching lead vocalists at the drop of a hat. "If a guy sounded 80 percent right for the part, then he was probably going to be replaced by someone who sounded 100 percent right," added Donnie, whose Calvin Kleins-wearing brother Mark was briefly part of the set-up. "Fortunately, we didn't take it personally."

However, the Svengali did at least allow his proteges a little more creative control. Danny enjoyed a crash course in engineering, mixing and programming, and, like Donnie and Jordan, was also given an associate producer title. This trio also helped pen one of the album's highlights, the lovestruck freestyle of "My Favorite Girl."

But it was with a retro love song that they scored their first chart-topper. Written with Motown legend Smokey Robinson in mind (hence Jordan's slightly pained falsetto),"I'll Be Loving You (Forever)" also practically invented the modern-day boy band ballad. Indeed, the gushy declaration of love, the close-knit harmonies, the overly sincere facial expressions, the sitting on bar stools. It's all here alongside the kind of piercing high note only dogs can hear. While most boy bands would replicate this formula at least once — usually around the Christmas period — the likes of All-4-One, 98 Degrees and Westlife would base their entire careers around it.

The New Kids' schoolboy influences are far more apparent, however, in "What'cha Gonna Do (About It)," an electro-funk number with shades of Janet Jackson's "What Have You Done for Me Lately," and the similarly punchy closer "Hold On." And then there's the title track, of course. Bridging the gaps between Run-D.M.C., the hair metal scene and the NBA anthem — it was actually intended to honor the group's basketball team of choice, the Boston Celtics — "Hangin' Tough" is essentially year 0 for boy bands going rebellious.

You can hear its echoes in everything from One Direction's Midnight Memories LP to the more blockbuster moments ofBackstreet Boys' oeuvre ("Larger Than Life," "Backstreet's Back"). "When the Lights Go Out" hitmakers Five, meanwhile, recorded three albums' worth of similarly bullish PG-13 pop. "Hangin' Tough" gave NKOTB their second U.S. No. 1 in the July of 1989, solidifying the band as a genuine pop sensation.

Its parent album, which eventually sold a colossal 14 million copies, was the year's second-best seller — ironically finishing behind Bobby Brown's Don't Be Cruel. Their same-named documentary, a mix of music promos and behind-the-scenes footage helmed by regular collaborator Doug Nichol, picked up a Best Music Video, Long Form nomination at the 1990 GRAMMYs (it lost to Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814).

Even their flop debut had gained a new lease of life, with a re-release of its Delfonics cover "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)" giving them a sixth top 10 hit in the span of just 10 months. A seventh arrived soon after, too, thanks to "This One's for the Children," the only single from their hastily assembled holiday album, Merry, Merry Christmas.

The latter exemplified fans' determination to get their hands on anything NKOTB and the industry's determination to capitalize on this; the cynic would argue Hangin' Tough's most significant impact was the merchandise empire it spawned. You couldn't do your weekly shopping without seeing the boys' idolized faces staring back at you, whether on a magazine front cover, official doll or Coca-Cola ad campaign. The money-making potential certainly had industry leaders taking notes — particularly one future impresario.

It was while leasing a plane to the New Kids that the since-disgraced Lou Pearlman hit upon the brainwave of forming his own squeaky-clean, scream-worthy, all-male vocal group. The aviation entrepreneur had been flabbergasted to learn his young customers had raked in a billion dollars through record sales, merchandise and tours, and subsequently used their business model for his first proteges, even hiring their road manager Johnny Wright to look after day-to-day duties. By the turn of the millennium, Backstreet Boys and another Pearlman project, *NSYNC, had taken the boy band concept to new supernova heights.

Of course, not everyone was as enamored by NKOTB's success. Perhaps unimpressed with Hangin' Tough's synthetic production and the overuse of the word "girl," Rolling Stone readers crowned them Worst Band of 1989; while referring to their younger demographic, the Los Angeles Times remarked, "There's no law, written, natural or otherwise, that says kids can't have taste, too."

Over the past 30 years, though, the stuffy critical response appears to have softened. In 2016, the record even earned its own prestigious 33 ⅓ (the literary series celebrating seminal albums) by author Rebecca Wallwork, a longtime fan who argued people's kneejerk reactions to her idols clouded their judgement of the music. And a 30th anniversary reissue — which featured "80s Baby," a new, aptly titled collaboration with old touring buddy Tiffany and fellow '80s survivors Debbie Gibson, Naughty by Nature and Salt-N-Pepa — returned Hangin' Tough to the Top 20 of the Billboard 200.

While promoting the re-release with a special show at Harlem's Apollo Theater, Donnie told Rolling Stone that although New Kids On The Block believe they have since eclipsed Hangin' Tough, they're still immensely proud of how it changed pop music forever: "We don't get to decide how we're remembered. But if it's with that album, and those special times, then how lucky are we?"

The Evolution Of The Girl Group: How TLC, BLACKPINK, The Shirelles & More Have Elevated Female Expression

Foo Fighters — one of contemporary rock’s most pivotal mainstays — boasts an almost mythical history. What began as Dave Grohl’s one-man band in 1994 after the devastating end of Nirvana has become a seminal machine with a catalog that spans three decades.

The group currently holds the record for the most GRAMMY wins in the Best Rock Album category, picking up awards in 2000 (There Is Nothing Left to Lose), 2003 (One By One), 2007 (Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace), 2012 (Wasting Light) and 2022 (Medicine at Midnight). At the 2023 GRAMMY Awards, Medicine at Midnight also took home awards for Best Rock Performance ("Making a Fire") and Best Rock Song ("Waiting on a War").

Their recently released 11th studio album, But Here We Are, is the facet’s first project following the death of drummer and vocalist Taylor Hawkins last year. Hawkins, who joined Foo Fighters in 1997 and would become a driving creative force in the group, was mourned by musicians and fans across the world. Tribute concerts in London and Los Angeles presented by the Hawkins family in conjunction with Foo gracefully paid homage to his legacy. 

Grohl and company managed to push through their collective grief on But Here We Are. The project serves as a gripping confessional of both painful loss and blistering resilience. In honor of their latest endeavor, GRAMMY.com lists 10 of Foo Fighters’ most essential tracks.

"Big Me," Foo Fighters (1995)

Released one year after Kurt Cobain's death, Foo Fighters’ debut  album brimmed with promise. "Losing Kurt was earth-shattering, and I was afraid of music after he died," he told Anderson Cooper during a 2014 episode of "60 Minutes."

Though Grohl insisted that the record was just an outlet for grief, it marked the beginning of his illustrious career. "Big Me," the final saccharine single from the project, proved that the drummer-turned-frontman had a knack for crafting catchy tunes that would become undeniable hits. 

The campy nature of the track was the result of Grohl not putting much thought into the album, but that intrinsically simple approach — which trickled down to the song’s video which famously parodied Mentos commercials — was the start of something great.

"Everlong," The Colour and The Shape (1997)

One of Foo Fighters’ most exhilarating moments to date comes in the form of a love song. "Everlong," which was the second single from the band's sophomore effort, pulls listeners in with its gentle, melodic chords, keeping  their attention with sweltering percussion and heart wrenching lyricism. 

"Everlong" is about being so in tune with a romantic partner that the conclusion of that relationship is wholly devastating. "Come down and waste away with me," Grohl serenely sings. "Down with me/Slow, how you wanted it to be/I'm over my head/Out of her head, she sang." He performed it for the first time acoustic in 1998 on "The Howard Stern Show," which Grohl said "gave the song a whole new rebirth" during a performance at Oates Song Fest 7908.

"Breakout," There Is Nothing Left To Lose (1999)

"Breakout" appeared on both the band’s third album, There Is Nothing Left To Lose, and is filled with a frenzied, punk energy that channels Grohl’s grunge roots. While critics praised the album and noted the Foos' notable progression toward more melodic anthems, this quick, fast hit remains worthy of the hype it received over 20 years ago. 

The track also appeared in the 2000 comedy film Me, Myself & Irene starring Jim Carrey, and several of its stars appear in its music video. There Is Nothing Left To Lose also spurred the radio hit "Learn To Fly," which won the GRAMMY Award for Best Short Form Music Video in 2000. 

"Times Like These," One By One (2002)

The Foo Fighters' fourth studio album marked a turbulent period in the band’s history. Aside from personal issues, Grohl had just recorded drums for Queens of the Stone Age’s Songs for the Deaf, and joined the group for a subsequent tour. 

While the fate of Foo remained unknown, a triumphant performance at Coachella in 2002 gave the members a new outlook on their future. "‘Times Like These’ was basically written about the band disappearing for those two or three months and me feeling like I wasn’t entirely myself," Grohl stated in the group’s 2011 documentary Back and Forth. "I just thought, ‘Okay, I’m not done being in the band. I don’t know if they are, but I’m not.’"

 With its lyrical simplicity and crippling sincerity ("It’s times like these you learn to live again/It’s times like these you give and give again"), the song has come to embody love, togetherness and hope.

"Best Of You," In Your Honor (2005)

"I’ve got another confession to make/I’m your fool," Dave Grohl howls at the top of lungs on the riveting opening for "Best of You." His declaration is followed by the existential proposition: "Were you born to resist or be abused?" 

In Your Honor’s lead single is ripe with emotion, in which the Foo frontman is buoyantly defiant and encourages those listening to his words to be the same. That sentiment was politically driven, as "Best of You" was penned after Grohl made several appearances on the 2004 Democratic presidential campaign for John Kerry. 

"It’s not a political record, but what I saw inspired me," he told Rolling Stone in 2005. "It’s about breaking away from the things that confine you." "Best of You" is their only song in the U.S. to reach platinum status.

"The Pretender," Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace (2007)

One of the group’s most highest charting songs was "The Pretender," from 2007’s Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace. Grohl’s songwriting on the track is of macabre proportions, as introductory solemn chords give way to the lyrics: "Send in your skeletons/Sing as their bones go marching in again/They need you buried deep/The secrets that you keep are ever ready." 

Heavier riffs and pulsating percussion make it quite the auditory experience. Perfectly paced crescendos on the "The Pretender" give it just the right amount of suspense, making it indelible to the Foo discography.

"White Limo", Wasting Light (2011)

In 2012, Wasting Light earned four GRAMMY Awards including Best Rock Album. "White Limo" snagged the accolade for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance — and for good reason. 

The second single from Foo Fighters’ seventh studio album is a ferocious number saturated with primal screams and whirlwind rhythms. "White Limo" was one of their most raucous songs to date and the group does their best Motorhead impression (Lemmy Kilmister’s appearance in the music video serves as the ultimate seal of approval). The group was intentional in maximizing their aggression on the heavy-metal track, making "White Limo" the sonic equivalent of a lightning bolt in their immense catalog.

"Make It Right," Concrete & Gold (2017)

2017’s Concrete and Gold wasn’t about redefining the wheel as much as it was perfecting it. The group’s ninth studio album is as rock 'n' roll as it gets. 

There were a slew of memorable guest appearances including Paul McCartney on "Sunday Rain," Boyz II Men’s Shawn Stockman on "Concrete & Gold," and the Kills’ Alison Mosshart on "The Sky Is a Neighborhood" and "La Dee Da." 

The album’s best track, "Make It Right," features an uncredited, sonically off-putting cameo from Justin Timberlake . Yet the collaboration’s venture into heavier territory pays off, with Grohl paying respect to Led Zeppelin. The rock legends'  influence oozes all over "Make It Right"  in the form of ragged taunts and splintering riffs. Timberlake slinks into the background with additional vocals, making sure to not alter Foo’s formula in any way.

"Waiting on a War," Medicine at Midnight (2021)

Foo Fighters’ 10th album, Medicine at Midnight, was a refreshing return to form for the rockers. 

Sparked by a conversation by Grohl’s daughter, "Waiting on a War" embodied the group’s pensiveness about  America’s ominous future.  Over four minutes, Grohl  states that he’s "waiting for the sky to fall," though his melancholy thoughts ultimately transform from wistful crooning over acoustic guitar chords to a rumbling, full-throated ferocious outro. Foo’s bold approach snagged them a GRAMMY Award in 2022 for Best Rock Song.

"Rescued," But Here We Are (2023)

The power in "Rescued," the emotionally-charged first single from But Here We Are, relies not only on the lyrics to spell out the feeling of despondency, but on Grohl’s expression of them. 

"We’re all free to some degree/To dance under the lights," he sings. "I’m just waiting to be rescued/Bring me back to life." His voice languishes between fatigue and vigor as swirling guitars and ethereal buildups provide catharsis for both the band and the listener. The vulnerability of "Rescued" channels the intriguing self-awareness heard on albums like The Colour and The Shape and In Your Honor. But this song represents a brand new chapter for Foo and it’s one that confronts their pain head on.

Foo Fighters Are An Indestructible Music Juggernaut. But Taylor Hawkins' Death Shows That They're Human Beings, Too.

"10 songs that run the emotional gamut from rage and sorrow to serenity and acceptance, and myriad points in between." Without knowledge of their recent history, Foo Fighters' summary of their forthcoming record sounds like the usual pre-release spiel. Yet, as with everything Dave Grohl has touched over the past 35 years, this statement is grounded firmly in authenticity.  

But Here We Are is the Foos' 11th studio effort and first record since the untimely passing of Taylor Hawkins, just hours before they were due on stage at Colombia's Estéreo Picnic Festival in March 2022. The drummer had been the backbone of the constantly changing group for quarter of a century, and so his death at the age of just 50 inevitably threw their future into question. Following hugely affecting tribute concerts on both sides of the Atlantic, Grohl et al concluded, much to fans’ relief, that the show must go on. 

Expectedly, the devastation of losing a bandmate permeates their first studio effort since; it takes just 12 seconds to position But Here We Are as something of a musical eulogy. "It came in a flash/It came out of nowhere/It happened so fast/And then it was over," an anguished Grohl sings on opener "Rescued," one of many attempts to make sense of the sudden nature of his bandmate's death. But while the album's words are often steeped in melancholy, its sound is lean and loud.

First taster"Rescued" harks back to the '00s triple whammy of lead singles ("All My Life," "Best of You," "The Pretender") by combining stadium-sized hooks with speaker-blowing guitar riffs and dynamic rhythms. Perhaps not in the right headspace to hire a permanent replacement, Grohl returned to his former day job by taking to the drum kit for all ten tracks. And the majority of this third consecutive collaboration with Greg Kurstin, the super producer best-known for his work with pop powerhouses Adele and Sia, shares a similar full-blooded energy. 

Of course, the Foos were born out of a similar tragedy. Grohl only made that rare leap from drummer to frontman in the wake of Nirvana bandmate Kurt Cobain's 1994 suicide. The "nicest guy in rock" had initially considered joining Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers before heading into the studio to test out his singer/songwriter skills. Knocked out in just five days, the 15 tracks that emerged were distributed on cassette to friends, with the overwhelmingly positive feedback inspiring Grohl to pursue the Foo Fighters ("the stupidest f—ing band name in the world," he'd later concede) concept further. 

Grohl quickly assembled a line-up that included drummer William Goldsmith and bassist Nate Mendel of the defunct Sunny Day Real Estate and Nirvana's brief touring second guitarist Pat Smear to help perform the self-titled debut he issued on his own Roswell Records label. Fans hoping for insights into Grohl’s state of mind may have been left disappointed: Feeling pressured to address Cobain's demise, he opted for a stream-of-consciousness lyrical approach that resulted in gibberish.  

First taster "Rescued" harks back to the '00s triple whammy of lead singles ("All My Life," "Best of You," "The Pretender") by combining stadium-sized hooks with speaker-blowing guitar riffs and dynamic rhythms. Perhaps not in the right headspace to hire a permanent replacement, Grohl returned to his former day job by taking to the drum kit for all ten tracks. And the majority of this third consecutive collaboration with Greg Kurstin, the super producer best-known for his work with pop powerhouses Adele and Sia, shares a similar full-blooded energy. 

Of course, the Foos were born out of a similar tragedy. Grohl only made that rare leap from drummer to frontman in the wake of Nirvana bandmate Kurt Cobain's 1994 suicide. The "nicest guy in rock" had initially considered joining Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers before heading into the studio to test out his singer/songwriter skills. Knocked out in just five days, the 15 tracks that emerged were distributed on cassette to friends, with the overwhelmingly positive feedback inspiring Grohl to pursue the Foo Fighters ("the stupidest f—ing band name in the world," he'd later concede) concept further. 

Grohl quickly assembled a line-up that included drummer William Goldsmith and bassist Nate Mendel of the defunct Sunny Day Real Estate and Nirvana's brief touring second guitarist Pat Smear to help perform the self-titled debut he issued on his own Roswell Records label. Fans hoping for insights into Grohl’s state of mind may have been left disappointed: Feeling pressured to address Cobain's demise, he opted for a stream-of-consciousness lyrical approach that resulted in gibberish.  

However, Foo Fighters' sound wasn't too much of a departure from the quiet/loud grunge-rock that had catapulted Nirvana to blockbuster success. And despite a deliberate lack of promotion, melodic singles such as "This Is A Call" and "Big Me" — the latter penned in honor of Grohl's then-wife Jennifer Youngblood — steered the record to nearly 1.5 million domestic sales and the first of many GRAMMY nominations. Interestingly, it lost Best Alternative Music Album to Nirvana's MTV Unplugged in New York.  

1997 follow-up The Colour and the Shape also had ties to Grohl's previous day job. "February Stars" derived from a Nirvana recording session with bassist Krist Novoselic in early 1994, while producer Gil Norton had also worked with the Pixies — Cobain's biggest inspiration. And just like Nevermind, it's a sophomore that remains its band's commercial peak: despite charting no higher than No. 10 on the Billboard 200, it's still the Foos' biggest seller.  

Although the group now sounded even bigger than before, their lyrics this time round were of a far more intimate nature. Propulsive lead single "Monkey Wrench" is one of several numbers inspired by the breakdown of Grohl's marriage, a period the rocker has described as the winter of his discontent, while "Everlong" (David Letterman's all-time favorite song) found him lauding new love, Veruca Salt’s Louise Post. There was even talk of placing a therapist's couch on the album artwork to reflect the more confessional tone.  

But The Colour and the Shape also kickstarted a personnel merry-go-round: Goldsmith left to be replaced by Alanis Morissette drummer Hawkins, while Smear followed suit soon after due to exhaustion. Within a year, his successor Franz Stahl, formerly of Grohl's early hardcore punk outfit Scream, had been given his marching orders over the age-old reason of creative differences.  

By the time There Is Nothing Left to Lose hit the shelves in 1999, the Foos had been reduced to a three-piece. Nevertheless, what they'd lost in members they appeared to gain in melodies. Accompanied by an MTV-dominating video in which Grohl assumed multiple identities, "Learn to Fly" became the band’s first Hot 100 hit. And the swoonsome college rock of "Next Year" proved the band could be compelling without turning things up to eleven. It was little surprise when they scooped their first-ever GRAMMY for Best Rock Album.  

Whereas There Is... was created in idyllic circumstances ("It was one of the most relaxing times of my whole life," Grohl later enthused. "All we did was eat chili, drink beer and whiskey and record whenever we felt like it"), the recording of 2002's One by One was fraught with tension. Firstly, Hawkins had delayed proceedings when a heroin overdose left him in a coma for two weeks. Then Mendel and Grohl spent most of their studio time warring with each other, with new guitarist Chris Shiflett often left twiddling his thumbs as a result. The situation eventually got so bad their headline slot at Coachella was regarded as make-or-break. 

Luckily, the band enjoyed playing together again on stage so much they decided to keep the Foos train running. And after re-recording much of the material Hawkins dismissed as "million-dollar demos" in Grohl's basement, One by One eventually saw the light of day. Despite such a difficult inception, the album spawned two of the group's most enduring songs: the turbo-charged ode to oral sex that is "All My Life" and the contrastingly sweet "Times Like These," a self-help anthem which has since been championed by everyone from Glen Campbell to George W. Bush (and taken to the UK No. 1 spot by a Grohl-led charity supergroup). 

While Grohl later became disillusioned with One by One ("four of the songs were good, and the other seven I've never played again in my life"), he's remained positive about 2005 follow-up In Your Honor, a double album which allowed the Foos to showcase both their full-throttle and sensitive sides. Audiences appeared just as enthused about this separation of electrified and stripped-back material: it posted the highest first-week sales of the group's career. GRAMMY voters leaned into all the magnum opus talk, showering the LP with five nominations. However, the band still went home empty-handed on Music's Biggest Night.

A disappointing awards haul is far from the only notable thing about In Your Honor, though. Based on his experiences living with Cobain and Novoselic, "Friend of a Friend" originates from 1990, making it Grohl's first acoustic composition. "Cold Day in the Sun" gives Hawkins a debut on lead vocals, while Norah Jones collaboration "Virginia Moon," an unlikely detour into bossa nova, is the band's first duet.   

2007’s Echoes, Silence, Grace and Patience also boasted a Foo Fighters milestone: "Ballad of the Beaconsfield Miners" was their first ever instrumental piece. But elsewhere, the band went back to basics, reuniting with Norton to produce what some considered to be a belated sequel to The Colour and the Shape. Once again, multiple GRAMMY nods followed, although on this occasion, the Foos got to add to their trophy cabinet, winning Best Rock Album and Best Hard Rock Performance for anthemic lead single "The Pretender."  

A 2009 Greatest Hits compilation appeared to close the door of another Foo Fighters' era. Yet 2011's Wasting Light suggested the group still had one eye on the past. Not only did they invite Smear back into the recording fold, they also hired Butch Vig — the man behind Nevermind — as producer, asked Novoselic to guest and made the whole thing analog-style in Grohl's Encino garage ("Why go into the most expensive studio with the biggest producer and use the best state-of-the-art equipment?" he posited. "Where's the rock 'n' roll in that?") 

The nostalgic approach paid off when Wasting Light became the Foos' first U.S. chart-topper and added three GRAMMY Awards to their collection. However, few fans would agree it achieved Grohl's goal to create the band's definitive album, its 11 tracks following the arena rock handbook just a little too closely to stand out.  

Playing it safe is not an accusation you could level at 2014's Sonic Highways, an albumteased by Grohl as one made "in a way that no-one's ever done before." And he wasn't exaggerating. Accompanied by a same-named HBO documentary in which the rocker interviewed local musicians, engineers and producers, the highly ambitious project attempted to recapture the musical spirit of eight different American cities.

The Foos also roped in several hometown heroes on record, with country star Zac Brown representing Nashville, Cheap Trick frontman Rick Nielsen flying the flag for Chicago and, most unexpectedly of all, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band paying tribute to New Orleans. The Vig-produced affair was still very much a Foo Fighters album, albeit one steeped in classic rather than alternative rock.  

The unpredictable collaborations continued on 2017's Concrete and Gold, a deliberately weird record featuring Boyz II Men's Shawn Stockman, saxophonist Dave Koz and Justin Timberlake, not to mention Paul McCartney on drums. The strangest aspect of the album for Grohl, however, was the location of its recording: "I thought, 'What's the strangest thing for this band to do at this point?' And then I realized it was just to go into a studio and make a f—ing album like a normal band," he told Rolling Stone.

The first LP since keyboardist Rami Jafeee became a permanent member took a little longer to make than expected: Grohl was forced out of action for six months after breaking his leg during an on-stage fall in Sweden. The timeout, which occurred during Donald Trump's rise to power, allowed the frontman to take stock of America's future, resulting in the Foos' most politically charged effort as well as their poppiest. 

Foo Fighters doubled down on the big hooks for 2021's Medicine at Midnight, resulting in their first ever consecutive No.1. Grohl even compared it to Let's Dance, the David Bowie record which briefly reinvented the musical chameleon as the ultimate party-starter. GRAMMY voters obviously approved, awarding the band Best Rock Album, Best Rock Song for "Waiting on a War" and Best Rock Performance for "Making a Fire." Of course, just over a year later the feel-good vibes dissipated in the most heartbreaking way imaginable. 

Whereas Grohl completely avoided the subject of Cobain's passing on Foo Fighters’ debut LP, almost every song on their 11th album alludes to Hawkins'.

Under You" finds Grohl looking at "pictures of us sharing cigarettes and songs," going through the various stages of grief via a punchy piece of power pop. And on the cathartic title track, the frontman unleashes the kind of fierce, throat-busting howls more suited to his extracurricular forays into death metal. 

And then there's the behemoth named "The Teacher." Surpassing "Come Back" as the Foos' longest song, the 10-minute epic is also one of their most powerful, encompassing themes of existential despair and extolling various life lessons ("Try to make good with the air that's left/Counting every minute, living breath by breath") while segueing from riotous post-grunge to bittersweet folk-rock and back again.  

But Here We Are does have other quieter moments of introspection. Violet Maye Grohl — teenage daughter of the Foos’ leader — lends her cooing tones and a reassuring presence ("I'll take care of everything from now on") to the gorgeously ethereal melodies and dreamy crystalline guitars of "Show Me How." And there's unlikely to be a dry eye in the house as a hushed Grohl Sr. bids a final farewell on the closing stripped-back bars of finale Rest, ("Waking up, I had another dream of us/In the warm Virginia sun/There I will meet you"). 

The recent appointment of Josh Freese, the journeyman drummer who appears to have played with every notable rock band of the past 30 years, appears to confirm this won't be the last we hear from Foo Fighters. Indeed, Grohl and company have described But Here We Are as "the first chapter of the band's new life." This heartfelt yet utterly emphatic tribute suggests it will be just as compelling as those gone by.  

Foo Fighters Are An Indestructible Music Juggernaut. But Taylor Hawkins' Death Shows That They're Human Beings, Too.