Biography
One of the most loved and respected alternative rock bands of their generation, Foo Fighters began as a cache of songs written by then Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl. Grohl wasn't brave enough to suggest his songs to his bandmates at the time, but after the death of Kurt Cobain and dissolution of Nirvana, Grohl began booking studio time to record the music he'd been working on. Dubbing the project Foo Fighters, Grohl ultimately performed every instrument on the act's 1995 self-titled debut himself. He would later recruit Nate Mendel, Pat Smear, and William Goldsmith to play with him on tour and on the massively successful follow up, The Colour and the Shape. This period later found the lineup shifting, with Goldsmith and Smear eventually leaving, and Taylor Hawkins and Chris Shiflett coming on board. This period also saw guitarist Franz Stahl join the band from 1997 until 1999. Several more critically and commercially acclaimed albums would follow, including 1999's There Is Nothing Left to Lose and 2002's One by One. In 2005, they released the album In Your Honor, supporting it with a co-headlining tour with Weezer in what was dubbed "The Foozer Tour." Next came 2008's Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace and 2011's Wasting Light, both of which added to the band's ever growing collection of Grammys. In 2014, the band released the album Sonic Highways, and embarked on a worldwide tour. When Dave Grohl broke his leg during the European portion of the tour, it was unclear if the remaining North American concerts would be performed. The band would forge ahead, however, playing the concerts with Grohl in a full leg cast, dubbing the shows The Broken Leg Tour. On March 25, 2022, drummer Taylor Hawkins died in his hotel room in Bogota, Colombia just prior to a concert scheduled for that night. Out of respect for their friend and bandmate, Foo Fighters canceled the remainder of their 2022 tour dates. Veteran drummer Josh Freese, formerly of Nine Inch Nails, Gun 'n' Roses, and Los Angeles punk band The Vandals, was announced as Hawkins' replacement in the spring of 2023.
