3 Must-Know 1990s Deep Cuts by Foo Fighters

Foo Fighters recently announced a 2026 North American stadium tour, and Dave Grohl’s band has 30 years’ worth of gigantic rock tunes with which to move the punters’ fists.

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But what deep cuts will appear alongside the hits “Learn To Fly”, “Everlong”, “Best Of You”, and “Times Like These”? The band’s recent single, “Asking For A Friend”, will likely be included, but the exact color and shape of the Take Cover Tour won’t be known until it begins on August 4 at Rogers Stadium in Toronto.

For those who only know the singles, here are three deep cuts from the band’s first three albums. While the first two tracks are already fan favorites, the final entry is included to highlight the improbable path from Grohl’s early, raw recordings to sold-out stadiums.

“Aurora” by Foo Fighters from ‘There Is Nothing Left To Lose’ (1999)

Grohl described “Aurora” as “a nostalgic look back at Seattle and the life I once had.” He said it also ponders existential questions, and you can imagine young friends staring up at the stars and variously asking why, how come, or what for. The inspiration for the song feels like it could have happened before Grohl’s fame. Before Nirvana became Earth’s biggest band. Just a drummer looking at the night sky before his band changed rock history.

Take me now, we can spin the sun around
And the stars will all come out
Then we’ll turn and come back down
Turn and come back down.

“February Stars” from ‘The Colour And The Shape’ (1997)

Another tune about the sky, but Grohl did name his band Foo Fighters and his record label Roswell. This one will be well-known to the band’s diehards, but most are more familiar with the album’s singles, “Monkey Wrench”, “Everlong”, and “My Hero”. Nonetheless, “February Stars” is a slow-build emotional banger about survival. Grohl’s stargazing, once again, hints at the smallness of humans. Like how Carl Sagan once described Earth as “a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.”  

February stars
Floating in the dark
Temporary scars
February stars.

“Weenie Beenie” from ‘Foo Fighters’ (1995)

Many artists spend months or years meticulously crafting an album with a multitude of takes, hired musicians, professional songwriters, and endless Pro Tools edits. But Grohl recorded the first Foo Fighters album in just six days. “Weenie Beenie” wasn’t a hit, but it captures the punk ethos behind Grohl’s approach. Recent clips of the band performing “Weenie Beenie” with their new drummer, Ilan Rubin, reveal a similar unhinged spirit.

I’m molasses
Hung in rent
Read a sponsor
One shot, no post-show.

Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images