Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl: Creed’s ‘With Arms Wide Open’ One of ‘Most Amazing Songs of All Time’
Dave Grohl has come clean about his earnest admiration of Creed's "With Arms Wide Open." Even though, in the past, the Foo Fighters frontman has performed the year 2000 hit with a questionable degree of respect.
Indeed, at the 11th annual Dimebash last week (Jan. 16), Grohl called the Scott Stapp-led tune "one of the most amazing songs of all time" in an interview with Variety. And he was "not kidding," he added.
The revelation came in a chat alongside Dimebag Darrell's longtime girlfriend, Rita Haney, that took place backstage at the event honoring the late Pantera and Damageplan guitarist. In addition, Grohl discussed Pantera's lasting impact on the Foo Fighters.
"I remember we were all fans of Pantera, and we would watch those Pantera home videos and we'd think, "Dude, my God, that band is just like the people that love that band," Grohl remembered of the metal act's impact.
He continued, "And so to do something like this where it's to break it down into a backyard barbecue, it just makes it perfect."
But Pantera's influence on Foo Fighters went beyond just showing the group how to connect with their audience. The rocker and former Nirvana drummer said how the band ran their business affected his group as well.
"The way that the Foo Fighters work and run our organization has a lot to do with [what] we learned from the Pantera camp," Grohl explained. "You want to host a party, you want to make sure that everybody's having a good time backstage. You want to be a great band, you want to make sure everyone has a drink. You want to make sure that the fans are included."
The musician also responded to queries about Foo Fighters' next album, their first since 2017's Concrete and Gold. Going by Grohl's judgment, it may be a somewhat different release compared to the outfit's previous efforts.
"It's the record that we've threatened to make for a long time," he said of the upcoming Foo Fighters set. "We're finally doing something that's surprising even us."
But perhaps none of that is as shocking as Grohl's commendation of Creed's Human Clay chart-topper. Asked what song he'd like to perform as a Dimebash finale with all of the musicians involved, the singer was quick to answer.
"Listen, I happen to think that 'With Arms Wide Open,' by Creed, is one of the most amazing songs of all time," Grohl admitted. "I have a real soft spot for 'With Arms Wide Open.' And I would have no problem getting down on that."
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