“I’ve just seen a Unicorn!” exclaimed one fan on seeing Dave Grohl play along with the iconic rock hit.
Foo Fighters lead singer, songwriter, guitarist, band leader and all-around amiable guy Dave Grohl surprised attendees of his recent book promo tour when Grohl played drums alongside a recording of “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana.
Dave Grohl is of course the drummer of the famed 90’s era band.
The event was part of Dave Grohl’s promotional tour of his new book titled “The Storyteller.” The tome marks Grohl’s debut as a writer. The book chronicles Grohl’s experience as a musician, first as a young high school dropout drummer for punk band Scream, then as the drummer for the three-piece band Nirvana with bassist Krist Novoselic and singer-songwriter-guitarist Kurt Cobain, and then onto his current gig as the leader of the beloved rock band the Foo Fighters.
The event featured an unusual, but nonetheless cool feature of Dave playing along with his favorite recordings that started with Grohl playing a vinyl recording of The Beatles “Eight Days A Week.” Grohl, with a ready guitar nearby, picked it up and proceeded to play along the entirety of the song, whilst slumped on his knees on the carpeted portion of the stage.
After which he said, “For most musicians, this is where it all began.”
The high point of “The Storyteller” book release presentation, that happened last October 5th at the Town Hall venue in New York City, was Dave going up to his drum riser as the all too familiar four-chord guitar riff that opens “Smells Like Teen Spirit” played. Dave Grohl then rendered a note-for-note live drum version of the song, practically jamming with his younger self who recorded the track back in 1991--the opening track to Nirvana’s second album “Nevermind” and eventual catalyst that ushered the alternative rock era into the mainstream.
It was the first time in a long time that Dave Grohl played said Nirvana song in front of a live audience.