Some bands age gracefully, some calcify, and others somehow get looser the more life throws at them. Foo Fighters are firmly in that last camp, which is why it felt both inevitable and deeply cathartic that they chose the Kia Forum, of all places, as the site of their first large-scale U.S. show since the summer of 2024. With Dave Grohl’s 57th as the raison d’etre and Hope United (Hope The Mission x LA Mission) as the beneficiary, the night doubled as a reminder of everything the band has endured and everything they still refuse to let fade away.
The Forum has become sacred ground in Foos lore. It’s where joy and grief have coexisted in the loudest possible ways, from Dave’s past birthday blowouts to the gut-punch Taylor Hawkins tribute show in 2022, which remains one of the most emotionally overwhelming nights in modern rock history. All told, these past few years have seen this group weather unimaginable loss, public scrutiny, and very human messiness.
Lesser bands might’ve tightened up, retreated, or gone sterile. Foo Fighters did the opposite: they leaned into what Dave described as “loose-ass rock ’n’ roll” as a survival strategy.
So when the lights went down on a Wednesday night in mid-January and the band appeared in the round, with a rotating stage spinning like a giant vinyl platter, it felt right. Not slick or precious. Instead, it was gloriously unhinged, like the best Foos shows have always been.
Guitarist Pat Smear, sidelined with an injury, still loomed large. His face appeared via video intro and was plastered on the drum kit like a guardian spirit, while Jason Falkner stepped in seamlessly on guitar, honoring the Foos’ long tradition of “the show must go on, and it should still rip.” Dave dedicated not one but two songs to Pat: the show opener of “My Hero” and “Walk” a handful of songs later.
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Foo Fighters – “My Hero” – 1/14/26
[Video: Todd Norris]
From there, it was a greatest-hits sprint with zero pretense. “One by One”, “Times Like These”, “The Pretender”, and “La Dee Da” landed with the kind of muscle memory that only a band formed in the 1990s—when riffs mattered and choruses were made for screaming—can still summon. As the stage slowly rotated before “These Days”, Grohl cracked that he felt like he was on Wheel of Fortune.
The birthday vibes kicked into high gear during band intros, when Dave’s bandmates busted out different birthday tunes, including the classic “Happy Birthday” and the Beatles’ “Birthday”. It was goofy, heartfelt, and on-brand. Foo Fighters have never pretended to be cooler than they are.
The middle stretch of the show hit especially hard. “Run” descended into a hushed, tense jam. “This Is a Call” nodded back to the band’s scrappy beginnings. “No Son of Mine” briefly detoured into Motörhead’s “Ace of Spades”, a snarling tribute to Lemmy Kilmister that reminded everyone that Grohl and his compatriots still carry the spirit of punk and metal right alongside stadium rock bombast.
Then, the mood shifted.
Grohl went solo, talking about playing old-school rock ’n’ roll, about love and family, about the extended family (i.e. crew, techs, bandmates) that’s kept this thing alive for three decades. He shouted out Ian Beveridge, his first drum tech in Nirvana, grounding the moment in a lineage that stretches back to the very roots of ’90s alt rock.
“Under You”, which Dave performed alone and dedicated to Taylor Hawkins, was the emotional center of the night. Grohl visibly struggled through the song, the Forum holding its breath with him. It wasn’t polished, but it wasn’t supposed to be. It was raw, and that’s always been the Foos’ real superpower.
Foo Fighters – “Under You” (Dave Grohl solo) – 1/14/26
[Video: Ted Weitzman]
The band surged back with “Aurora”, “White Limo”, and “Arlandria”, before Grohl compared the spinning stage to a Kura Sushi conveyor belt and later the Mercedes dealership in Van Nuys. Indeed, despite his personal travails, Dave hasn’t lost his sense of humor onstage. During “Monkey Wrench”, he led a literal wave around the arena, while newly installed drummer Ilan Rubin, fresh off a trade (?) with Nine Inch Nails, crushed a drum solo and Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers popped up on the big-screen video feed, because why not turn a birthday party into a rock-star roll call?
Foo Fighters – “Learn to Fly” – 1/14/26
[Video: Todd Norris]
By the time “Best of You” stretched into a communal singalong jam, the Forum felt less like an arena and more like a giant, sweaty living room full of friends who’ve been through some shit together.
The encore was a fake-out classic. Dave introduced “Exhausted” as the old-school closer from the first album, as though that’s how the show would end, before breaking into “Everlong”.
As Dave Grohl blew out another metaphorical candle, Foo Fighters proved again that joy doesn’t come after the pain. Sometimes, it comes because of it. This wasn’t nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake. It was a celebration of survival, friendship, and the enduring power of loud guitars played with zero irony.
All led by a guy who’s still running laps around the stage, as if he isn’t yet sniffing 60.
Next up, Foo Fighters head to Australia for a late January date in Australia, then back to the U.S. for major May festival stops like Welcome to Rockville and BottleRock Napa Valley. After that, it’s off to Europe for a massive run of arenas through June and July, followed by a North American stadium tour across August and September with Queens of the Stone Age and Mannequin Pussy. Find a list of upcoming dates and get your tickets here.
Below, view the full setlist and a gallery of photos via Josh Martin from Foo Fighters’ January 2026 Forum show.
Setlist: Foo Fighters | Kia Forum | Inglewood, CA | 1/14/26
Set: Me Hero [1], All My Life, Times Like These, The Pretender, La Dee Da, These Days, Walk [1], Happy Birthday to You [2], Stacked Actors, Learn to Fly, Run, This Is a Call, No Son of Mine [3], Under You [4], Aurora, White Limo, Arlandria, Monkey Wrench, Hey, Johnny Park!, Best of You
Encore: Exhausted > Everlong
[1] Dedicated to Pat Smear
[2] with Birthday (The Beatles) snippet
[3] with Ace of Spades (Motörhead) snippet
[4] Dave Grohl solo on electric guitar, dedicated to Taylor Hawkins
