Dave Grohl just published his book The Storyteller, a memoir of sorts comprising narrative snapshots from his life and career. The project began during the pandemic with the Instagram account @davestruestories, which in turn evolved into a blog, also called Dave’s True Stories. Today one of the stories in the book has made its way back to that blog.

This one is called “Entering Valhalla,” and it’s about the night Grohl met Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. The story begins with Grohl being approached by Dhani Harrison backstage after a Foo Fighters concert at Wembley Arena in London and inviting him to a tribute concert for his late father, George. Grohl describes being moved to tears by the performances that night and how the experience helped him to mourn Kurt Cobain. He then explains being led backstage to a VIP area, worrying briefly that it wasn’t the “real” VIP area, then being gobsmacked by the presence of luminaries like Ravi Shankar, George Martin, and two two surviving Beatles.

In 2021 I tend to think of Grohl as a guy who knows everybody in the music business, for whom chilling with Paul McCartney is the norm. But he certainly didn’t feel that way back in 2002:

I noticed Paul McCartney out of the corner of my eye, chatting away with friends, and I couldn’t help but stare. There. He. Was. I don’t know what it feels like to see a UFO. I don’t know what it feels like to see a ghost. I don’t know what it feels like to see Bigfoot, but I know what it feels like to see Paul McCartney, and if that’s not a supernatural event, then I don’t know what is. I tried to avert my eyes, but it was no use. I was mesmerized.

I was surprised to learn that the greatest night of Grohl’s musical life did not involve him playing any music. Still, it’s really fun to read Grohl geeking out about the experience, and you can do that here.