Dave Grohl's Mom Took Charge of Unruly Crowd During Red Hot Chili Peppers Performance

The renowned musician recently shared an anecdote recalling an incident during the Foo Fighters’ opening act for the Red Hot Chili Peppers on the Californication tour. The show faced a delay due to a disorderly crowd, but it was Dave’s mother, Virginia Grohl, who stepped in and took control, allowing the performance to proceed.

During a conversation on the December 20 episode of the Song Exploder podcast, Dave delved into the inspiration behind the 10-minute track “The Teacher.” The song is a tribute to his mother, Virginia, who was a public school teacher and passed away in 2022.

Reflecting on his own academic resistance, Dave admitted, “I was the worst student. I hated it when she tried to tutor me. I don’t want to hear that teacher’s voice, you know?” However, he went on to recount a pivotal moment from 25 years ago when the Foo Fighters encountered a chaotic situation opening for the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

The audience had surged past the barriers in the arena, causing a delay in the show’s start. Despite the promoter’s efforts to control the crowd, the audience remained unresponsive. It was at this moment that Virginia Grohl took matters into her own hands. Dave explained, “My mother took the microphone, went out there and said, ‘Listen. You kids, you need to back up.’ And everybody just backed up.”

This incident occurred around the same time as the infamous Woodstock ’99 riot, where fans ignited fires during the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ performance. Dave humorously pondered whether they should have called on Virginia to assist during that chaotic event as well.

For more details on this incident, you can listen to the specific segment in the podcast episode, where Grohl discusses the rowdy Chili Peppers show just after the 10-minute mark.