Foo Fighters appeared over the weekend as the musical guests on Saturday Night Live where they played a pair of songs from their latest LP, But Here We Are, welcomed out special guest H.E.R. for a sit-in, and even roped Christopher Walken into a cameo to correct a viral pronunciation dispute.
Rather than being introduced for their first song by the episode’s host, comedian Nate Bargatze, enigmatic actor Christopher Walken appeared to welcome to group’s performance of “Rescued”. The cameo was a callback to a story told by Dave Grohl and the late Taylor Hawkins during a 2017 Radio X interview about a previous SNL experience. As the two explained in the popular 2017 clip, during a 2003 episode when Walken was the host and Foo Fighters were the musical guests, Walken had asked Grohl which word in the band’s name should be accented when he introduced them. Grohl told him to enunciate “Fighters,” knowing that the result would be a quintessentially “Walken” pronunciation on air: “Ladies and gentlemen, Foo Fighters.”
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For his 2023 Foo Fighters Saturday Night Live intro, the actor clearly got the memo about accenting “Foo,” but being Christopher Walken, he still found a way to make it sound like he’s from another planet. Hats off to one of the greats. Below, watch Grohl tell the story of the ’03 Walken introduction and view the live Foo Fighters “Rescue” with his new introduction from Saturday’s episode.
Dave Grohl Tells SNL Foo Fighters/Christopher Walken Story – Radio X (2017)
Foo Fighters – “Rescued” w/ Christopher Walken Intro – Saturday Night Live (2023)
For their second song, Foo Fighters were introduced in traditional fashion by Bargatze but still offered a surprise for viewers in the form of a sit-in by H.E.R., the young singer and guitarist who has raked in critical acclaim and awards-show wins over the last several years. H.E.R., real name Gabriella Wilson, emerged from the shadows to harmonize with Grohl and rattle off an anthemic guitar solo. Elsewhere in the show, Dave Grohl appeared as the punchline in a sketch about an emergency birth on an airplane. Watch both of those clips below.
Foo Fighters w/ H.E.R. – “The Glass” – Saturday Night Live
“Airplane” Sketch ft. Dave Grohl – Saturday Night Live
For a complete list of upcoming Foo Fighters tour dates, head here.