Thirsty people who stopped by Georgetown’s Ri Ra Thursday night got a surprise bonus with their beer, when alt-rockers the Foo Fighters dropped by unexpectedly.
Frontman Dave Grohl, recently in the news for his drama-free reunion with Courtney Love at his former band Nirvana’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, discovered the Georgetown bar Wednesday while he was shopping for a shirt to wear to the White House, the reason for his DC visit. (The Foo Fighters are also the Friday headliners at this weekend’s Firefly Festival.)
According to Ri Ra manager Emmet Power, Grohl, who grew up in Springfield, Virginia, liked the bar so much he decided he had to come back. Thursday night around 9, Grohl showed up to Ri Ra again, this time with a couple of his band mates—drummer Taylor Hawkins and bassist Nate Mendel—and several of their crew members.
The band stayed in Ri Ra’s upstairs whiskey room until around 3 AM, chatting with bar-goers and taking pictures with the staff. Ri Ra staff closed off the bar around 10:30 to keep the band from getting overwhelmed by people, but Power says Grohl, Hawkins, and Mendel, whom he called “the nicest people you could ever meet,” seemed happy to spend time with fans.
Grohl also talked with Power about Kurt Cobain, got behind the bar to pour himself a Guinness, and even gave his support to Mayo Gaelic Football Club’s quest to win the Sam Maguire Cup, Ireland’s Senior Football Championship, posing for a photo with Ri Ra employee Aideen Murray while holding a “Mayo 4 Sam” sign.
At the end of the night, after all the customers had left, staffers and the Foggy Dudes, the band playing at Ri Ra last night, convinced Grohl to perform an acoustic version of “Everlong” (now on YouTube) for an audience of seven—a slightly smaller crowd than the one the band will be playing for this weekend.
