The Real Reason Why Dave Grohl Once Turned Down the Chance to Drum for Tom Petty

When Nirvana came to an end in 1994 following the tragic death of the band’s frontman, Kurt Cobain, drummer Dave Grohl was in a pretty unique position. He was the biggest drummer in rock music at the time, and everybody wanted him to join their bands. Rather than opting to join another outfit, Grohl formed his own band called Foo Fighters. That ended up being a very smart decision, as Foo Fighters went on to be another major musical success for Grohl.

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Still, quite a few famous contemporaries asked Grohl to join their bands. And one musician who wanted to get Dave Grohl on board was Tom Petty of Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers. Obviously, nothing ever came of it. But why not? Fortunately, Grohl provided some answers in an interview from a while back.

In an interview with Howard Stern from back in 2021, Dave Grohl was asked about two famous rumors: One being that he turned down the opportunity to drum with Tom Petty, and the other being that he turned down a chance to be Pearl Jam’s drummer. According to Grohl, the Pearl Jam rumor wasn’t rooted in reality at all, and he “didn’t know where that came from.” The Tom Petty rumor, though, was rooted in truth.

Dave Grohl Actually Turned Down the Chance To Drum for Tom Petty After Nirvana Came to an End

Dave Grohl did indeed turn down the opportunity to drum for Tom Petty. But what was the reason?

According to Grohl, he was on the bill for Saturday Night Live with Petty. He noted that they had “so much fun” and got along quite well. Surprisingly to Grohl, Petty asked him to join his band. After performing on the television program, Petty allegedly told Grohl that “it would be a shame if that’s the only time we do it.”

“I was like, why be me?” Grohl told Stern. “I mean, he could get like a world-class drummer, any dude.”

Later, Grohl would get a phone call from Petty where he spelled out exactly what would happen if Grohl became a permanent drummer for The Heartbreakers.

“[He was like,] ‘You get your own bus, and we don’t tour too hard, and blah blah blah,’” said Grohl.

Petty invited Grohl to try touring a few dates with The Heartbreakers to see if it was a good fit. However, Grohl ended up turning him down.

“I had just started doing this thing, and I just felt weird about just going right back to the drums because it would have just reminded me of being in Nirvana,” Grohl revealed. “It would have been sad for me, personally, it would have been an emotional thing to be behind the drum set every night and not have Kurt there. So I was like, nah. I’m going to try this other thing.”

That “other thing” ended up being Foo Fighters, and I’d have to agree that it was the right move.

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