This is the story of when Foo Fighters supported Bob Dylan in 2006. These two outstanding performers were supporting each other on the tour. While the Foo Fighters themselves could have taken the upper hand, they decided that Bob deserved it.
Foo Fighters were already the headline of the festival but when it comes to Dylan, it was their once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. “They don’t usually jump around on other people’s tours but when it comes to Bob Dylan, it’s like being Knighted”. It was also their chance to learn from the all-time great.
In an interview with Uncut, he revealed many fascinating things. He revealed that when the tour was supposed to go, the Foo Fighters were doing an acoustic tour for the previous five or six months. Also, they were skeptical as Dylan is more of an acoustic person. Dave remembers, “Oh my God, does he really know what he’s getting into here?'”
In Your Honor tour was a great thing for the Foo Fighters. They played two shows in every city, an electric performance and a bosom acoustic show. He said, “How could we say no? We were asked by the man who turned rock ‘n’ roll from boogie-woogie into bad-ass. Respect and honor, and for us, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
This was not always the idea. Foo Fighters were actually nervous to play the rock-themed songs. But they actually decided to go with it alongside the acoustic thing as Dylan wanted the rock show too. Dave says, “Dylan wanted the rock show proves what a bad m********* he still is. I was totally blown away by that.” He was also blown away as Dylan was okay with bands like Foo Fighters and The Raconteurs.
Dave also recalled and reflected on his past. He talks about photographs and his mother, cause as a teenager he reveals he was interested in them. He said, “I remember hearing him on the radio as a kid and my Mother had ‘Blonde On Blonde’ when I was growing up. Then as a teenager, you start getting into stuff like black-and-white photography and acid and politics and you start listening to Dylan as a part of that. Then a little later in life, when you’ve come to appreciate the simple beauty of a lyric, you get into his poetry and music on a different level.”
Dave knew that they were dealing with someone crucial. As an icon Dylan could help Grohl and his band reach new heights. He was nervous the whole tour. He recalls his time and says,
“The guy who plays keyboards with us in the acoustic set-up is Rami Jaffe, from Jakob Dylan’s band, The Wallflowers, so he knows Bob. We all spent weeks asking him, ‘How’s Bob? What’s he like, man?’ He said: ‘Bob’s the coolest guy in the world. He’s totally f****’ chilled. But here’s the deal, though. If he’s got the hoodie on with the sunglasses, don’t even f*****’ think of talking to him. If the hoodie is down and the sunglasses are off, it’s fair game to go and say hello.’ That’s the best advice anybody has given me all year!”
Dave has tasted his own kind of success too. From being in a legendary band to creating his own band which contributed a lot. He recalls and says Dylan is a simple person. Dave revealed that Dylan doesn’t really like fancy hotels. He thinks that Bob prefers ‘the Motel Sixes and the Holiday Inns’. He also commented that he is not a pretentious rock star. The respect he has earned is something he truly deserves. Dave also shed light on how he hated when people compared his previous band and Bob. He said,
“In the ’60s Dylan was called “the voice of a generation” and then, 30 years later, I was in a band that a lot of people tried to give the same tag to. He hated that and so did we. Show me a musician who celebrates being called the voice of their generation and I’ll show you a f*****’ pompous a******. Having someone hang that round your neck is like having a lead ball on a chain that you have to carry around and it drags you down.”
“Since I was a kid I always wanted to be in a band and all I was ever interested in was the music. Then I was part of three guys called Nirvana and to me when people tagged that label on us it meant nothing. I was just having a lot of fun playing the f***** drums. I’m sure if you asked anybody who’s been in the same predicament, including Dylan, they’d say the same thing. That guy’s been around the block a few times an dwe look up to him in every way – as a lyricist, a musician, a role model and a punk. He’s a bad m***********, y’know?”
