Foo Fighters are known for throwing the craziest concerts, and their show at London’s O2 Arena took that party vibe to a whole new level. They decided to pull the ultimate surprise by dropping an unexpected guest on stage that nobody saw coming. It was the kind of moment that you had to see to believe.
The band cleverly mixed up the guitar riffs from Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” with the unmistakable chords of Astley’s classic tune, and the result felt like a musical Frankenstein experiment that actually worked. Rick Astley, then burst onto the stage belting out “Never Gonna Give You Up, Never Gonna let You Down”, creating the wildest rickroll in history!
Fans described the moment as, “It was like watching two musical worlds collide in the best possible way.” And if you’ve ever laughed at a Rickroll meme, this was your ultimate payback—on a massive stage, no less. The clip instantly went viral online, racking up 9.1 million views.
Never Gonna Give You Up (Foo Fighters With Rick Astley)
Astley himself was 52 at the time—a stat I like to drop when people say age matters in music—and he’d been out of the spotlight for a while. Still, the legend’s voice was just as smooth as the good old days. Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl looked like a kid on Christmas morning, grinning from ear to ear, probably thinking, “This is going to break the internet!” And, statistically speaking, it did. Fans in the stadium lost their minds, which makes total sense if you think about how “Never Gonna Give You Up” has become the soundtrack to internet pranks everywhere.
What’s wild is that this wasn’t even the first time the Foos and Astley crossed paths. They’ve developed a bromance over the years, sharing stages and swapping covers whenever the universe feels like giving us a reason to smile. Grohl famously teamed up with Astley in Tokyo for a spontaneous performance of “Never Gonna Give You Up,” and the internet loved that one too. Later on, Astley returned the favor by covering a Foo Fighters track in a more intimate setting. He chose the classic track “Everlong,” and gave it the acoustic treatment, racking up a pretty impressive 5.3 million views online.
Rick Astley – Everlong (Foo Fighters Cover)
During his “Everlong” cover, Astley played acoustic guitar and stayed faithful to the song s original vibe—yet he also managed to mark it with his personal vocal stamp. The result felt like a cozy, latenight living room jam session between old friends. I found myself watching it on repeat, marveling at how effortlessly Astley slipped into the Foo Fighters’ sonic universe.
When Astley chatted with Virgin Radio UK about that first surprise performance in Japan, he made it sound like a spur-of-the-moment miracle. He explained that he’d been performing at the same festival as the Foo Fighters and decided to watch their set from the side of the stage. Astley, who started as a drummer, said he was drawn to them because “somewhere in my DNA I’m a drummer,” which totally resonated with me. I’ve always thought that once you’ve got rhythm in your soul, it never really leaves you, no matter how many genres you jump through.
Dave Grohl’s story about Rick Astley
Suddenly, a Foo Fighters roadie approached Astley, handed him a mic, and said, “Dave wants you on-stage.” Can you imagine that moment? You’re jet-lagged, you’ve had a few beers, and now Dave Grohl wants you to join the most significant rock party in town. Of course, Astley wasn’t going to turn down that golden invite. Even crazier, he revealed that “somehow they’d learned ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ and theyd jammed it,” setting the stage for one of those rare, unplanned rock ‘n’ roll moments that fans cherish.
Rick Astley – Never Gonna Give You Up (Official Music Video)
Astley recalled the mind-blowing experience by admitting, “so I ended up singing to fiffty thousand people with the FooFighters on a weird and wonderful version of ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’. It was proper nuts.” And for those who dare to search the footage on YouTube, he added a friendly warning: “there’s quite a bit of swearing at the beginning of it, because I just lost myself in that moment.”
Can’t get enough? If you want to keep up with Foo Fighters and whatever shenanigans they might pull off next, subscribe to their YouTube channel or follow them on Instagram. With these guys, you never know what kind of musical prank—or pure rock magic—they’ll unleash next.