Being friends with your heroes must be one of the greatest feelings in the world, and it's something that Dave Grohl gets to experience every day. He and Paul McCartney have known each other for many years, and from the beginning, the Beatle was intrigued by the Foo Fighters frontman. They shared lots of parties and played music together on several occasions, and through the years they became very close friends.This relationship is based on mutual respect for each other's work, and while it's obvious that Dave will always look up to Paul, there is no doubt that their friendship is filled with genuine love and admiration.
8 They Met After The Concert For George
If there is a moment in his life that Dave Grohl will never forget is the night he met Paul McCartney. He had been invited by Dhani Harrison to the Concert For George at the Royal Albert Hall Theatre, where all the greatest rock stars were going to come together for a tribute to George Harrison. This was in 2002. He watched the show in awe, but it was only when he was taken to the VIP after-party that he was able to meet the legendary Beatle.
As he wrote on his storytelling account on Medium, Dave's True Stories, just seeing Paul took his breath away. "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," Dave shared. "What happened next will forever remain a blur. I don’t recall exactly how Paul and I were introduced, what was said, or how long we talked, but I do remember putting on my best 'this is not the most incredible thing ever to happen to me' face while trying to keep from making a fool of myself."
The story of that first meeting ends with Dave running to his hotel room to call his mother Virginia, another huge Beatles fan, and tell her everything about that amazing night.
7 Their Wives Became Friends
After that initial meeting, it was a while before Paul and Dave had the chance to develop a friendship. They met at parties here and there, but the people that actually established a direct line of contact between the two musicians were their wives, Jordyn Blum and Nancy Shevell. Dave didn't specify when or where it happened, but he shared that the two women hit it off and swapped numbers. After that, the four of them started going to dinner whenever they were in the same city, and a beautiful friendship blossomed.
6 Dave Paid Tribute To Paul In Many Situations
Despite being very close, Dave is always aware of the fact that his dear friend is the legendary Paul McCartney. Dave has said on many occasions that he learned to play music by listening to The Beatles' records, and he takes every chance he's given to honor that legacy.
Among the most important tributes he participated in was the 2010 Kennedy Center Honors, in which he sang the classic McCartney song "Maybe I'm Amazed" with jazz legend Norah Jones, the 2010 event in the White House where Obama awarded Paul with the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, and The Night That Changed America: A Grammy Salute to the Beatles, in 2014.
5 Paul Returned The Favor
Dave Grohl might not be a Beatle, but he is an incredibly talented artist that has done amazing things for music, and Paul can acknowledge that. This is why he was happy to participate in the tribute for Dave that was put together for the Shockwaves NME Awards 2011 when the Foo Fighters frontman received the Godlike Genius award. If Paul McCartney thinks he's worthy to be called a godlike genius, then Dave is clearly doing something right.
4 Paul Participated In Dave's Documentary
In 2013, Dave released a documentary called Sound City, a film he made about the legendary studio Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, Los Angeles. That was the place where Nirvana recorded the album Nevermind, and when the studio closed in 2011, Dave felt the need to keep its history alive.
He purchased several items from it, including the soundboard, and decided to immortalize the studio in a movie. He contacted many important artists like Stevie Nicks, Tom Petty, Corey Taylor, and of course, Paul McCartney. With Paul and his former Nirvana bandmates, Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear, they wrote the song "Cut Me Some Slack", which appeared on the soundtrack of the documentary and won a Grammy in 2014.
3 Paul Gave Dave's Daughter Piano Lessons
Dave recently told the story about the time Paul gave his middle child Harper piano lessons, and it feels too amazing to be real. Whenever Dave talked about Paul visiting his house in interviews, he always joked about how he had to hide all of the Beatles posters and books so that he wouldn't freak Paul out with his devotion to the band, but he had never mentioned this small and incredible story. Apparently, right after Dave's youngest daughter Ophelia was born, Paul and his wife Nancy were in Los Angeles and wanted to meet her. Dave invited them over and they all had dinner, but right before the couple had to leave, the Beatle eyed the piano in the living room and decided to play some songs. Harper, then five years old and amused with the situation, went to the kitchen, brought a coffee cup, and put some change in it like it was a tip jar, making everyone laugh. Then, she sat next to him, and Paul taught her some chords. That was, according to Dave, the only time he took a picture of his friend, because he wanted to remember that moment forever.
2 The Foo Fighters Asked Paul To Play Drums For Them - And Paul Said Yes
For their 2017 album, Concrete and Gold, the Foo Fighters asked the Beatle to play drums on one of their songs, "Sunday Rain". The reason for this was that, when Dave wrote that song, he felt that it would sound better if their drummer Taylor Hawkins sang it. At first, Dave was going to play the drums, but then Paul McCartney came to Los Angeles, and the frontman had the idea of asking him to play the drums. Paul's first reaction was to laugh, because while he is a good drummer, that's not something he usually does, but when he saw that his friend was serious, he decided to give it a try. Needless to say, it was amazing.
1 Paul Inducted the Foo Fighters Into The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame
In fall 2021, Paul gave Dave and the rest of the Foo Fighters one of the best gifts of their lives by inducting them into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. He gave a sweet and funny speech, explaining the parallels between his own career and Dave's, and then finished by saying they were one of the greatest bands of all time. He even played the Beatles classic "Get Back" with the band. It was, undoubtedly, an unforgettable night.