In a new Rolling Stone interview, Dave Grohl discussed the idea of Foo Fighters, Pearl Jam, and Guns N’ Roses taking over for The Rolling Stones, The Who, Paul McCartney, and Roger Waters as they retire and pass away in a new Rolling Stone interview, and he felt weird about the comparisons.
How do you feel about seeing classic-rock acts retire?
I started thinking about it at the 12/12/12 concert, where you had all the greats — McCartney, the Stones, the Who, Roger Waters. And most of those people came from a specific time frame. I was thinking, “Well, God. Does that mean at some point there’s going to be that window closing, and it’s gonna dissipate really quickly?”
Have you grappled with the idea that you guys – and bands like Pearl Jam and Guns N’ Roses – will be stepping into their shoes to an extent?
I would never put ourselves in that category or that echelon. But it’s weird. First of all, I can’t believe we’re still a band [after] 20-whatever years. And I can’t believe we’re playing arenas and stadiums. And that it’s gotten to this point where I look out at the audience and I don’t just see Foo Fighters T-shirts anymore. I see people in their sixties and seventies. I see kids that are 10 years old, teenagers, and it seems to me that when we come to town, people hear there’s a rock show and they just come on out. So we’ve gotten to the point where I think that we represent something . . . um . . . general [laughs]. You know?
