Robin Hilton | May 13, 2026

Like a lot of artists who play the Tiny Desk, the guys in Foo Fighters carefully curated and worked through their set for weeks leading up to their appearance, even taping out the dimensions of the Desk in a practice space to puzzle-out the close quarters. But once they were in the office, they tossed most of those plans. "If you put instruments in our hands and there are people," Dave Grohl jokes, "it's fun to play!"

For a better part of the last 30 years, Foo Fighters has worn the crown for stadium-sized guitar rock. But for this performance, the band shrinks down that outsized sound to something that fits perfectly behind the Desk, without losing any urgency or oomph. They open big with a banging take on "Spit Shine" from the band's latest album, Your Favorite Toy, followed by "Learn to Fly" from 1999's There is Nothing Left to Lose. They also include the introspective and quieter "Child Actor" (also from the new album), before closing out with "My Hero" and "Everlong," both from 1997's The Colour and the Shape.

SET LIST

"Spit Shine"

"Learn to Fly"

"Child Actor"

"My Hero"

"Everlong"

MUSICIANS

Dave Grohl: vocals, guitar

Pat Smear: guitar

Chris Shiflett: guitar, background vocals

Nate Mendel: bass, background vocals

Rami Jaffee: keys

Ilan Rubin: drums, background vocals

TINY DESK TEAM

Producer: Robin Hilton

Director/Editor: Maia Stern

Audio Director/Mix: Josh Newell

Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter

Videographers: Maia Stern, Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame

Audio Engineer: Neil Tevault

Production Assistant: Ashley Pointer

Photographer: Zayrha Rodriguez

Series Editor: Lars Gotrich

Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed

Executive Director: Sonali Mehta

Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson, Robin Hilton

#foofighters #nprmusic #tinydesk

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