“That's the saddest thing that's ever happened in my life!” Dave Grohl's guitar stops working nine seconds into Everlong – in front of 50,000 people
Even after living out every guitarist's worst nightmare, Dave Grohl delivered a searing rendition of Everlong
On June 13, Foo Fighters were just about to wrap up the first show of their 2024 UK tour at Manchester's Old Trafford Cricket Ground, when Grohl's guitar stopped working.
“Oh, my guitar just died!” exclaimed Grohl, as he lived out every guitarist's worst nightmare. His guitar, a gold Gibson Dave Grohl Signature DG-335, gave way nine seconds into Everlong due to a stage power issue.
He jokingly added, “That's the saddest thing that's ever happened in my life! What are the fucking odds.” The technical hitch didn't dampen Grohl's spirits though, as he handed over guitar duties to Chris Shiflett and proceeded to command the stage and audience “like Bono”.
In addition to the gold DG-335, Grohl was also spotted using his Pelham Blue Gibson DG-335 and Gibson Elvis Presley Dove acoustic guitar throughout the three-hour-long show.
The setlist was chock-full of Foo Fighters hits, including All My Life, Best of You, The Pretender, and My Hero. The band also honored their late drummer Taylor Hawkins, dedicating Aurora to him.
Moreover, there was the live debut of an unreleased track, Unconditional, which according to the band, “came up in conversation during rehearsals for the UK tour, and all it took was one run-through: the decision was made instantly to share it with everyone in the same way – live.” Furthermore, it was the first new song with Josh Freese as the band's official drummer.
Foo Fighters are currently in the middle of their UK stadium tour. Upcoming dates include two nights at London Stadium on June 20 and June 22, a stop at Principality Stadium in Cardiff on June 25, and a final performance at Birmingham's Villa Park on June 27.
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Janelle is a staff writer at GuitarWorld.com. After a long stint in classical music, Janelle discovered the joys of playing guitar in dingy venues at the age of 13 and has never looked back. Janelle has written extensively about the intersection of music and technology, and how this is shaping the future of the music industry. She also had the pleasure of interviewing Dream Wife, K.Flay, Yīn Yīn, and Black Honey, among others. When she's not writing, you'll find her creating layers of delicious audio lasagna with her art-rock/psych-punk band ĠENN.