NME
25 Jun 2017
Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins switched roles with his frontman Dave Grohl to perform a cover of Queen and David Bowie‘s ‘Under Pressure’ during the band’s huge headline show at Glastonbury 2017.
The much-loved band took to the Pyramid Stage at 9:45pm this evening (June 24) for their first-ever headline slot at Worthy Farm. They were due to headline in 2015, but Grohl broke his leg the week before the show.
Towards the end of the set, Grohl invited Hawkins to come to the front and sing a song – with Hawkins subsequently inviting the frontman to take his place behind the drum kit.
“We did this one time before, at a nightclub – there were 50 people there,” Grohl explained. “How about some more Queen – we obviously love Queen, you know that?” Hawkins asked the crowd. The band then proceed to cover ‘Under Pressure’, with Hawkins later dedicating the cover to Queen drummer Roger Taylor’s children.
Earlier in the set, Hawkins performed a short cover of Queen’s ‘Another One Bites The Dust’ with bassist Nate Mendel. As Grohl introduced him to the Glastonbury crowd, Mendel began playing the unmistakable bassline from ‘Another One Bites The Dust’, much to Hawkins’ – an avid Queen fan – delight. As he began to give drum accompaniment to the bassline, Hawkins started singing Freddie Mercury’s vocal part from the 1980 song.
Fans have been registering their delight at the Foos’ huge headline show online – check a slice of the reaction here.