Foo Fighters And Rick Astley Delight Fans With Surprise “Never Gonna Give You Up” Live Performance
Foo Fighters are known for their fun-loving spirit, and their London O2 show was a perfect example, featuring a surprise appearance by Rick Astley. The band delighted fans by mashing up Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” with Astley’s hit “Never Gonna Give You Up,” creating an unexpected and enjoyable rock ‘n’ roll twist.
The collaboration worked wonderfully, with fans in the stadium going wild as the band clearly enjoyed themselves. Online, the performance was equally beloved, racking up 9.1 million views, as shown below.
At the time, Astley was 52 and had already retired from music once, but his voice remained strong. Foo Fighters’ frontman Dave Grohl beamed throughout the performance, clearly relishing the surprise.
Interestingly, Foo Fighters and Rick Astley have quite a history together. Grohl has performed with Astley on several occasions, most notably in Tokyo, where they played “Never Gonna Give You Up” live. Astley has also covered a Foo Fighters song, performing “Everlong” in the studio, which became a hit online with 5.3 million views.
In his cover, Astley accompanied himself on acoustic guitar, staying faithful to the original while adding his own vocal flair.
In an interview with Virgin Radio UK, Astley shared that his first performance with the band in Japan was completely unplanned. He was part of the same festival lineup and stood by the stage as Foo Fighters performed, admiring Grohl and Hawkins, who are among his favorite musicians.
A Foo Fighters roadie handed Astley a mic, saying, “Dave wants you onstage.” Despite being jet-lagged and having had a few beers, Astley couldn’t pass up the chance. The band had somehow learned “Never Gonna Give You Up” and jammed it, intending to get Astley on stage.
Astley recounted singing to 50,000 people with the Foo Fighters in a “weird and wonderful” version of his hit, calling the experience “proper nuts.” He also gave a language warning for anyone searching for the video on YouTube, noting the swearing at the start as he got caught up in the moment.
