Credit: Far Out / YouTube Still
October 25th, 2026 · 7:16pm GMT
Dave Grohl has done more in his career than he ever thought possible for a kid from Virginia who just wanted to drum.
From his early days as the drummer of grunge icons Nirvana to his many years fronting Foo Fighters, Grohl has become a defining figure of modern American rock, amassing legions of dedicated fans in the process. At his core, however, the frontman is still just another rock superfan, and the lure of one band in particular would be enough for him to abandon his hugely successful career in a heartbeat.
His wishes have, more often than not, come true, too. Just recently, he got to share a stage with AC/DC to sing ‘Highway to Hell’ at what could possibly be the rock giants’ final show, and even joined Paul McCartney during his headline performance at Glastonbury in 2022.
Grohl has never shied away from discussing his broad range of influences. You might expect someone like him, who first established himself within the defiant grunge movement, to be a punk obsessive, but his record collection has always been broader than that. Incorporating everything from the new wave mastery of The B-52’s to the timeless sounds of The Beatles, Grohl has immersed himself in a diverse range of tunes going back to his earliest years.
Throughout it all, though, the frontman has always held an adoration for the titans of classic rock, Led Zeppelin.
It would be easier to list the rock musicians who do not cite Led Zeppelin as an influence rather than those who do. Jimmy Page’s outfit paved the way for the complex and abrasive sounds of hard rock, inspiring the development of later styles of rock and heavy metal in the process. Of course, Page is among the greatest rock guitarists of all time, but the appeal of Zeppelin comes from the fact that it was four musicians operating at their absolute peak, with drummer John Bonham particularly influential on Grohl.
In fact, Grohl has cited Bonham as the predominant influence on his drumming style, once telling Melody Maker, “Led Zeppelin completely moulded the way I play the drums. No one can deny that band anything. All their albums are great.” Even when the former Nirvana drummer switched his sticks for a guitar during the early days of Foo Fighters, Zeppelin continued to be an unavoidable influence on his output.
Credit: Apple Music
So, when Led Zeppelin announced that they would be reuniting for a one-off concert in 2007, over three decades since they had last performed together, you can imagine the levels of excitement running through Grohl. Given that original drummer John Bonham had long since passed away, there were questions about who would take up the mantle, and Grohl’s hat was quickly thrown in the ring.
Just a few weeks prior, Foo Fighters had performed on the same stage that Led Zeppelin were due to stand at The O2 in London, and Grohl was prepared to do anything to stand in with his heroes, even if it meant temporarily putting his own band on the back burner.
At the time, the Foo Fighters frontman answered these rumours in NME, sharing, “I am at their beck and call!”
However, he did believe there was one man who should be first choice, adding, “But Jason [Bonham] should be the one. It should be Jason, and everyone knows that. He’s a fucking phenomenal drummer, y’know?” The songwriter was correct in this assumption, as John Bonham’s son, Jason Bonham, did end up playing drums for Led Zeppelin during that 2007 show in London.
Nevertheless, drumming for his idols would have been a dream come true for Grohl, who admitted, “If I got that call, what the fuck do you think I’d be saying? ‘Hey Chris and Taylor, let’s take a little break for a few days. I’ll see ya later!’ But I don’t expect that to happen.”
Although Grohl did not achieve his childhood fantasy of drumming with Led Zeppelin, he has been able to get a taste of that dream. In 2008, during a headline show at Wembley Stadium, Foo Fighters performed alongside Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones.
In fact, Grohl even got the chance to record with Jones after forming Crooked Vultures alongside Josh Homme. These recording sessions, along with the Wembley performance, allowed Grohl to live out his wildest rock and roll fantasies in real life.
While the call never came, the aforementioned opportunities only arose because he went to London to watch the once-in-a-lifetime show. Foo Fighters played Las Vegas just days before, but Grohl made the jet-set journey for the unmissable gig, talked to Jimmy Page after the show, and convinced him to appear at Wembley.
It all turned out perfectly for everyone involved, and Page stayed true to his word.
ADD AS A PREFERRED SOURCE ON GOOGLE 
The Far Out Led Zeppelin Newsletter
All the latest stories about Led Zeppelin from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.