Foo Fighters finally checked the Hollywood Bowl off their list Saturday night, and they didn’t exactly ease their way into the place.
The veteran rock band made its debut at the legendary Los Angeles venue on August 22 with some formidable company, joining conductor Gustavo Dudamel, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and musicians from Youth Orchestra Los Angeles for a sold-out performance.
The concert was part of the Celebrating Gustavo at the Bowl series, recognizing Dudamel as he nears the conclusion of his tenure as Music and Artistic Director of the LA Phil.
For Foo Fighters, the occasion offered an opportunity to put a dramatically different frame around songs that have spent years filling arenas and festival fields.
The 15-song performance reached across the band’s catalog, beginning with “Times Like These” and moving through staples including “All My Life,” “The Pretender,” “Walk,” “My Hero,” “Learn to Fly,” “Run” and “Best of You.”
But this wasn’t simply a greatest-hits set with an orchestra attached.
Foo Fighters also went digging through the archives. “I Should Have Known” returned to the stage for the first time since 2012, while “Razor” received its first performance since 2006. “Home” made an even rarer comeback, appearing in a Foo Fighters set for the first time since 2007.
“Aurora” provided one of the evening’s more emotional moments, with the band dedicating the song to late drummer Taylor Hawkins.
The collaboration also represented a significant expansion of a musical partnership that started taking shape more than a year earlier. Grohl appeared with Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic at Coachella in 2025, joining them for orchestral versions of “The Sky Is a Neighborhood” and “Everlong.”
This time, the rest of Foo Fighters came along for the ride.
“The Sky Is a Neighborhood” returned as part of the Hollywood Bowl set, and “Everlong” once again proved fitting for the orchestral treatment, closing a night that brought together one of modern rock’s most durable bands and one of America’s leading orchestras.
After more than three decades of Foo Fighters concerts, a first-ever Hollywood Bowl appearance already qualified as an occasion. Adding Dudamel, the LA Phil and YOLA made sure it wouldn’t feel like just another stop on the tour.
