On Saturday night, Taylor Hawkins (drums) and Chris Shiflett (guitar) of the Foo Fighters played a fun set of cover songs at Rock & Roll Pizza at the Rack in Woodland Hills, California.
(** Related Post** – for more things Foo, check out our interview with author Paul Brannigan, about his new book This Is A Call: The Life And Times Of Dave Grohl. )
Rounded out by bassist/vocalist Wiley Hodgen, the group plays bars and pubs as Chevy Metal, tapping into the spirit of classic rock ‘n’ roll with a level of professionalism that you don’t usually see from most cover bands.
Since the Foos announced this show on various websites, pre-show buzz caused a line to form outside the tiny restaurant hours before wristbands were to go onsale (for $5), something else that doesn’t really happen at cover band gigs.
The small group that was allowed in was treated to a fun few hours of some classic jams. The first band, the amusingly-named Redondo Bitch, ran through a spirited set featuring songs like Jet by Wings.
Both bands, to their credit, stayed away from super-cliche cover band material, with Chevy Metal opting instead to play some deeper cuts, like Stay With Me (Rod Stewart), Under Cover of the Night (Rolling Stones), Fairies Wear Boots  & The Wizard (Black Sabbath), Queen Bitch (David Bowie), a few Van Halen songs (including Panama and Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love, which featured Hawkins’ wife on vocals), and Tie Your Mother Down by Queen.
Here are a couple videos –
Fairies Wear Boots (featuring vocals by Jim Rota of Fireball Ministry)

Tie Your Mother Down

Despite half of the core of the Foo Fighters being there, this didn’t become a secret Foo gig, but it was still a great night out (and the decor of Rock & Roll Pizza is very inviting – autographed guitars, fliers, and memorabilia line the walls).
Hawkins and his Chevy Metal band mates play these sorts of shows occasionally when they’re not busy touring the world, and watching them play you can tell they’re having a lot of fun up there, up close and personal with the crowd.
And they sound great, too.