By the spring of 2023, Foo Fighters were back on the road together, following the death of drummer Taylor Hawkins in 2022. The tour also marks the band’s first live dates since their two, star-studded tribute concerts in late 2022 for Hawkins.
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Kicking off their tour at the Bank Of New Hampshire Pavilion at Meadowbrook in Gilford, New Hampshire, on May 24, the band performed for the first time with their new touring drummer Josh Freese. The group blew through an explosive set, one that has mostly remained intact, with some nuances, throughout their tour.
The band threw in a few songs from their new album, But Here We Are, including the title track, along with “Rescued,” “Nothing At All,” and “Under You.” The Foo Fighters’ setlists typically run 20 or 21 songs and span the band’s full, 11-album catalog.
Sets have included “This is a Call” from their 1995 self-titled debut, along with regulars “Monkey Wrench,” “My Hero,” “Everlong,” “Learn to Fly,” “Times Like These,” “All My Life,” and other staples.
The band has also incorporated the song “Cold Day In the Sun,” which appeared on their fifth album In Your Honor in 2005. Written by Hawkins, “Cold Day In the Sun” hasn’t been played live since 2018. Singer Dave Grohl has also dedicated the song “Aurora,” from Foo Fighters’ 1999 album There Is Nothing Left to Lose, to Hawkins.
Along the way, Grohl’s daughter Violet has also been performing with the band. She’s performed their Medicine at Midnight track “Shame Shame” on their first show out and other Foo songs like “The Teacher” and “Show Me How” throughout the tour.
Recent shows have also featured some song sampling and covers. Snippets of Metallica’s ” Enter Sandman” and Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid” on Foo’s “No Son of Mine” have made their way into the setlist as well as a medley of Devo‘s “Whip It,” Beastie Boys‘ “Sabotage” and other songs during the band intros.
[RELATED: 5 Songs You Didn’t Know Taylor Hawkins Wrote for Other Artists]
The first half of Foo Fighters’ 2023 tour has included stops in cities in Canada and the U.S., along with a number of festivals, including Bonnaroo and Outside Lands in addition to Glastonbury. The tour wraps up on October 14 before continuing internationally from November 2023 through June of 2024 with more dates in the UK and Europe.
Though sets shift night to night, here’s a look at a typical Foo Fighters setlist on their 2023 tour, pulled from their May 24 show.
1. “Rescued”
2. “Walk”
3. “No Son Of Mine”
4. “Learn To Fly”
5. “Times Like These”
6. “Under You”
7. “The Pretender”
8. “But Here We Are”
9. “Breakout”
10. “The Sky Is A Neighborhood”
11. “My Hero”
12. “This Is A Call”
13. “All My Life”
14. “Nothing At All”
15. “Shame Shame”
16. “These Days”
17. “Cold Day In The Sun”
18. “Monkey Wrench”
19. “Best Of You”
20. “Aurora”
21. “Everlong”
Photo: Anna Barclay/Getty Images
