There Goes My Hero - dave grohl speaks, sings at "The storyteller" release

​By: Ryan Fitzgerald

Dave Grohl truly has had one of the most interesting musical careers of all time. For those unfamiliar with Grohl, he is a musician best known for being the drummer in the rock band Nirvana and, for the past 26 years, as the frontman of the Foo Fighters. In his new book, The Storyteller, he chronicles his entire life narrative.

​Grohl discusses everything from his beginnings as a young musician in the Virginia suburbs to joining Nirvana, starting a family, and getting inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. He did numerous live and intimate live shows to promote his new book, where he recounted stories from the book and even sang a few songs. On Oct. 7,  I was lucky enough to see the show at the Lincoln Theatre in Washington, D.C.

The show began with Grohl walking out on stage, grabbing an electric guitar, and playing along to a Beatles song. The room erupted in applause when he finished playing it. "Like most musicians, that's how it started," he said. He discussed how he became interested in music, particularly punk rock. He then illustrated how, as a child, he used pillows to play drums because he didn't have access to a drum kit.

He described how in the late 80s, he dropped out of high school to join the punk band Scream, which toured all around the world until they disbanded in 1990. When Grohl started talking about Nirvana, the audience was treated to a once-in-a-lifetime moment when he jumped on the drums and played along to “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” This portion of the talk came to a close with an emotional tribute to Kurt Cobain, when the lights dimmed and a black-and-white photo of Cobain appeared on the screen behind him, followed by a brief moment of silence.

He then went on to talk about the origins of Foo Fighters and how it began as a solo endeavor. On an acoustic guitar, he performed numerous stripped-down renditions of Foo Fighters tunes before closing the night with Everlong. The crowd sang along with every song, but those who have seen the Foos live know that there’s always something particularly special about a crowd of people singing the lyrics to Everlong with Grohl. 

Although the event lasted three hours, it truly only felt like one. It was without a doubt one of the most unforgettable events I've ever attended. It was surreal hearing Grohl tell these stories live and in person, especially considering Grohl was one of the main people who got me interested in writing and performing music. 

I’m very glad I know someone who can work around the horrendous interface of Ticketmaster. Thanks, Mom.