Foo Fighters and Gustavo Dudamel rock Hollywood Bowl farewell
Foo Fighters and Gustavo Dudamel closed out a historic Hollywood Bowl weekend on August 22, 2026, as the LA Phil backed Dave Grohl's band for a sold-out rock-orchestra set — the middle night of Dudamel's three-night LA farewell before he takes the helm of the New York Philharmonic. Variety's review calls it a night that finally put the "dude" in Dudamel, with orchestral arrangements so well-balanced fans immediately clamored for a commercial release.
Key Takeaways
- Foo Fighters made their Hollywood Bowl debut alongside Gustavo Dudamel and the LA Phil on August 22, 2026.
- The hour-and-40-minute set featured 15 songs, YOLA youth musicians, a choir, and rare deep cuts alongside hits like "Everlong."
- The concert was the centerpiece of Dudamel's three-night "Celebrating Gustavo" finale at the Bowl.
- Fans online called for an official recording after orchestral arrangements rivaled the studio originals.
- Dudamel departs Los Angeles for the New York Philharmonic after this farewell weekend.
Why Did Foo Fighters Team Up With Gustavo Dudamel?
The LA Phil has shared stages with pop and rock acts before, but Variety argues it took Foo Fighters to truly unlock Dudamel's rock side — and just in time. Saturday's show sat between Friday and Sunday concerts honoring his Latin American and Venezuelan roots, capping a weekend built around Beethoven rolling over for the maestro's less classical passions.
Grohl said the main reason for the night was "to give Gustavo one more big rock show before he has to leave this wonderful city." Dudamel opened with a 15-minute Aldemaro Romero suite, "Fuga con Pajarillo," weaving the full orchestra with Venezuelan musicians including Eduardo Betancourt, Jorge Glem and Moisés Torrealba.
What Made the Hollywood Bowl Setlist Stand Out?
The band trimmed its usual three-hour marathon to roughly an hour and forty minutes, cherry-picking catalog material best suited to orchestral augmentation. Grohl told the crowd Foo Fighters had never played the Bowl before — a first for the 32-year-old band — and leaned into the occasion with mostly profanity-free banter until an emotional "Everlong" finale.
Hardcore fans got rarities that thrilled setlist trackers: "A320" from the 1998 "Godzilla" soundtrack, "I Should Have Known" (first live performance since 2012), "Razor" (since 2006), and "Home" (since 2007). Standouts included choir-backed "The Sky Is a Neighborhood," a YOLA string intro on "Run," brass-heavy "My Hero," and "Aurora" dedicated nightly to the late Taylor Hawkins.
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Will the Concert Get an Official Release?
Variety's Andrew Wallenstein wrote that when some bands do symphonic collaborations, the results satisfy as experiments but not repeat listens. Here, the arrangements felt dramatic enough that fans could swap them for the originals on streaming playlists indefinitely. Social media lit up with requests for a commemorative recording after the show.
Dudamel himself barely spoke, saving sentiment for Sunday's true swan song — but his conducting visibly rocked, headbanging with the Foos in formalwear. As Variety noted, a dedicated "Gustavo Cam" on the big screen would have been warranted.
What Was on the Full Setlist?
The 15-song lineup ran from a stark acoustic opening of "Times Like These" through "All My Life," "The Pretender," "Walk," "A320," "My Hero," "Learn to Fly," "The Sky Is a Neighborhood," "Run," "I Should Have Known," "Razor," "Aurora," "Best of You," "Home," and "Everlong." The LA Phil appeared on every track, though they often stepped back so the core band could jam — including a moment where Dudamel set down his baton to watch Foo Fighters rage.