File this one under "Gnarly." Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters made a stop in Rio de Janeiro last weekend to play in front of a jam-packed Maracana Stadium. While they have plenty of new material to choose from thanks to Sonic Highways, their eighth studio effort, the band opted to pay tribute to one of their favorite acts — Rush. The Foos tore through the Holy Triumvirate's "Tom Sawyer," blowing thousands of minds in the process before tackling KISS's "Detroit Rock City."
The cover wasn't perfect — we'll leave that to the prog rock OGs themselves — but it was spirited. Grohl and drummer Taylor Hawkins proved their undying allegiance to the Canadian trio in 2013 when they inducted the group into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The pair performed in full Rush uniform before Geddy Lee, Neil Peart and Alex Lifeson joined them for, yes, you guessed it ... "Tom Sawyer."
Grohl fumbles with the words in the video below, but he makes up for it with pure enthusiasm for the classic rock anthem. Hawkins nails Peart's fills and syncopation, albeit with a fragment of the drums Peart uses, as Consequence of Sound notes. And props to axeman Chris Shiflett for his solo.
The boys also ran through other covers like "Stay With Me" (Faces) and "Under Pressure" (Queen and David Bowie). Check out the full setlist below.
Grohl and Co. will embark on a massive tour in February that will last until October. Rush recently announced their 40th anniversary dates as well.
Foo Fighters Rio de Janeiro Setlist
01. Something From Nothing
02. Pretender
03. Learn To Fly
04. Breakout
05. Arlandria
06. My Hero
07. Big Me
08. Walk
09. Cold Day
10. In The Clear
11. This is a Call
12. Monkeywrench
13. Skin + Bones
14. Wheels
15. Times Like These
16. Detroit Rock City (Kiss)
17. Tom Sawyer (Rush)
18. Stay With Me (Faces)
19. Under Pressure (Queen)
20. All My Life
21. These Days
22. Outside
23. Best Of You
24. Everlong
