This past Saturday (Oct. 28), Foo Fighters returned to Saturday Night Live for the first time since the March 2022 passing of drummer Taylor Hawkins, bringing with them a couple of awesome musical performances and a couple of awesome Dave Grohl sketch cameos. Perhaps best of all, legendary actor Christopher Walken finally said the band’s name correctly when he introduced them!
Back in 2003, both Walken and Foo Fighters appeared on SNL, and as Grohl’s famous story goes, Walken asked the group “if the accent was on ‘Foo’ or ‘Fighters,’” to which they clarified: “The accent is on ‘Fighters,” actually.” Lo and behold, Walken did his best to nail it yet he still mispronounced it as only he could. Fast-forward 20 years – to last night – and Walken redeemed himself by welcoming the sextet with an overt emphasis on getting it right this time (which he did, much to the audience’s delight).
From there, Foo Fighters played two songs from their latest studio LP (2023’s But Here We Are): lead single “Rescued” and final single “The Glass.” Obviously, the occasion marked the first time new drummer Josh Freese ever played with the band on SNL, which is one of many reasons for why both tracks were pulled off with exquisite precision and plenty of emotional depth.
What’s more, “The Glass” – which was introduced by host Nate Bargatze – saw R&B singer/songwriter H.E.R. joining Foo Fighters on guitar and backing vocals. According to SPIN, H.E.R. “has also recorded her version of ‘The Glass,’ with release details to be announced.” If her performance here is any indication, it should be great.
Fortunately, there’s some Foo fun to be had via two sketches that featured Grohl.
One of them parodies country/yacht rock by having a fictitious band, Mudpuddle (not to be confused with Puddle of Mudd), present their music video for “Lake Beach.” They sing about hanging out and drinking on a – you guessed it – lake beach, and halfway in, Grohl shows up as one of their uncle’s who’s “not fun to play cornhole with.” In fact, he starts yelling at a kid about the proper way to play the game, and if that weren’t funny enough, his look – complete with lengthy mullet and big yellow sunglasses – truly sells it. Near the end, he sings with Mudpuddle and even portrays the band’s pastor.
The other sketch centers on various cast members arguing about which jobs are the best during a flight to Newark, N.J. Eventually, Grohl emerges from the back of the plane as a doctor – well, kind of. You’ll have to watch the full sketch to find out what’s really going on.
It’s also worth mentioning that the episode’s promo bumpers featured Foo Fighters dressed as characters from The Wizard of Oz, so the Halloween spirit was in full effect.
You can check out all of the aforementioned clips below.
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As Loudwire previously reported, Foo Fighters were supposed to play SNL’s 48th season finale this past May; however, the episode was canceled due to the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike. Thus, their appearance last night had been heavily anticipated for months.
In other news, Foo Fighters were nominated alongside Metallica and Arctic Monkeys in the Top Rock Duo/Group category of the 2023 Billboard Music Awards. Plus, the band will be joining artists such as Megadeth and Bruce Dickinson at Hellfest 2024 next June, and Grohl recently admitted that he was living in “squalor” prior to Nirvana’s success.
Of course, Foo Fighters are still touring in support of But Here We Are. You can check out the remaining dates here and grab tickets here.
Foo Fighters Bring Great Music + Laughs to SNL (Oct. 28, 2023)
“Rescued” (with introduction from Christopher Walken)
“The Glass” (feat. H.E.R.)
Dave Grohl in “Lake Beach” Skit
Dave Grohl in “Airplane” Skit
A Photo Timeline of Foo Fighters’ Legendary Career
A photo timeline of Foo Fighters’ career.
Gallery Credit: Lauryn Schaffner
