Watch Foo Fighters Cover Cheap Trick With Rick Nielsen On Letterman
Yesterday, Foo Fighters shared “Something From Nothing,” the first single from their new album Sonic Highways. Of the album’s eight city-themed songs, that’s the Chicago one; they recorded it in Steve Albini’s studio, with Cheap Trick axe-master Rick Nielsen playing a guitar solo. You might think they’d take the chance to bust the song out on Letterman last night, after covering other people’s songs on the show for three straight nights. That’s not what happened. Nielsen joined the band on Letterman, but they didn’t play “Something From Nothing.” Instead, they covered Cheap Trick’s “Stiff Competition,” a fired-up and hook-packed song from 1978’s Heaven Tonight album. As a bit of a twist, Foos members Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins switched places, with Grohl returning to drums and Hawkins taking over frontman duties, wearing a ridiculous polyester leisure suit that Cheap Trick singer Robin Zander might’ve rocked back in the day. It’s a fun performance, and you can watch it below.
The Sonic Highways TV show debuts tomorrow night on HBO, and the album is out 11/10 on Roswell/RCA. Seriously, though, would anyone complain if Grohl and Hawkins just switched places full-time?