The Foo Fighters added a new meaning to “Rickrolling” over the weekend when they invited the real Rick Astley on stage to perform his 80s hit Never Gonna Give You Up. Watch the moment above.
The last-minute plan rolled into action at the Summer Sonic Festival in Japan, after frontman Dave Grohl announced a special guest was about to appear.
He said: “Ladies and gentlemen, would you please welcome our new best friend, Rick Astley?” After taking a few moments to discuss what was about to happen with the pop singer, Grohl continued: “This is fucking crazy. I just met him two minutes ago!”
Astley joined the fun by shouting: “Come on your motherfuckers!” which reduced drummer Taylor Hawkins to amused disbelief.
- Paul McCartney confirmed as guest on Foo Fighters album
- Foo Fighters debut new song Arrows
- Watch Dave Grohl’s daughter Harper make Foo Fighters debut
- The top 10 best Foo Fighters songs, as chosen by The Nyx
The Foos and Astley then launched into a shaky but light-hearted version of Never Gonna Give You Up – a track that’s regularly used as a trolling tool in the “Rickrolling” technique. It started up with overtones of Nirvana classic Smells Like Teen Spirit before settling into a rocked-up version of the well-known song.
“Fucking nuts,” Grohl said after a neat finish, and Astley left the stage. The Foos later posted a picture of the pair, using the tag “Ournewbestfriend.”
The band will release their next album Concrete And Gold will be released on September 15 via Columbia Records. They have one more concert on their current schedule, which takes place at the German edition of Lollapalooza in Berlin on September 10.
The Dave Grohl Quiz: how well do you know the Foo Fighters frontman?