Foo Fighters Perform Tenacious D Cover Amid Controversy

At their Aug. 3 stadium show in Denver, Foo Fighters surprised fans with a partial cover of a Tenacious D song, a first for the band. Later, they brought out Wolfgang Van Halen for a performance of Van Halen’s “Hot for Teacher,” which followed their track “Monkeywrench.”

Grohl’s association with Tenacious D members, Jack Black and Kyle Gass, is well-documented. He voiced Beelzeboss in Tenacious D’s 2006 film “Tenacious D and the Pick of Destiny” and played drums on all four of their studio albums.

Despite these connections, Foo Fighters have covered Tenacious D songs live only twice before. According to setlist.fm, the band performed “City Hall” and “Double Team” in the year 2000.

During the Denver show, Grohl began strumming his acoustic guitar, causing the crowd to instantly recognize the tune as Tenacious D’s “Tribute.” As Rami Jaffee joined in with an accordion, Grohl joked, “You thought I was going to play a Tenacious D song, didn’t you?” He continued to play a few lines before admitting he didn’t actually know the song.

Later in the night, Foo Fighters brought out Wolfgang Van Halen. After they finished “Monkeywrench,” drummer Josh Freese began playing the intro to Van Halen’s “Hot for Teacher,” and Wolfgang Van Halen joined them on guitar, delivering an energetic rendition of the iconic riffs.

This impromptu Tenacious D cover is interesting given the controversy surrounding Tenacious D’s Australian show, which occurred shortly after an assassination attempt on former U.S. President Donald Trump. During that show, Jack Black presented Kyle Gass with a birthday cake, and Gass made a controversial remark, “Don’t miss Trump next time.”

The comment ignited outrage, seen as either an insensitive joke or a dangerous incitement to violence. Black, who had endorsed Joe Biden for re-election before the President dropped out, issued a statement disavowing Gass’ unscripted comment. Gass also issued, and then deleted, an apology. Reportedly, he was dropped by his talent agency.

Due to the fallout, Tenacious D has suspended all their tour dates and other planned activities.

The full setlist of Foo Fighters’ Aug. 3 show in Denver included some of their biggest hits:

1. “All My Life”
2. “No Son of Mine” (with snippets of Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid” and Metallica’s “Enter Sandman”)
3. “Rescued”
4. “The Pretender”
5. “Walk”
6. “Times Like These”
7. “Generator”
8. “La Dee Da”
9. “Breakout”
10. [Medley] “Crazy Train” / “Eruption” / “Thunderstruck” / “Sabotage” / Keyboard Solo / “Blitzkrieg Bop” / “Whip It” / “March of the Pigs” (Band intros)
11. “My Hero”
12. “The Sky Is a Neighborhood”
13. “Learn to Fly”
14. “Arlandria”
15. “These Days”
16. “Tribute” (Tenacious D cover, partial; acoustic, Dave on guitar, Rami on accordion; first live performance by Foo Fighters)
17. “Skin and Bones” (acoustic, Dave on guitar; Rami on accordion)
18. “Under You” (Dave solo acoustic)
19. “Nothing at All” (with a snippet of The Beatles’ “Blackbird”)
20. “This Is a Call”
21. “Monkey Wrench” (with Wolfgang Van Halen, including a snippet of Van Halen’s “Hot for Teacher”)
22. “Aurora”
23. “Best of You”

Encore:
24. “The Teacher”
25. “Everlong”

This concert was notable not just for the surprising Tenacious D cover but also for the guest appearance of Wolfgang Van Halen. It marked a unique night for the band and their fans, blending iconic music from different eras and personal stories of rock legends.

Source: setlist.fm, various reports