David Letterman only wanted his 'favorite' band to play on his final episode — so they came over
David Letterman is a star in the world of late-night TV shows. Undoubtedly, it was an emotional moment for his fans and also for Letterman as he announced his show's end in May 2015. To make the final episode extraordinary, according to The Things, Letterman personally asked Foo Fighters to play his favorite song, 'Everlong', as the last musical act on his show. It's no secret that David Letterman’s bond with Foo Fighters was a personal one. The aforementioned outlet also reported that their friendship began in 1995, just a year after Nirvana’s frontman Kurt Cobain, tragically passed away. Cobain’s former bandmate, Dave Grohl took a huge leap of faith and stepped into the spotlight with his newly formed band, named 'Foo Fighters'.
Their network television debut happened on none other than Letterman’s 'Late Show', where they performed 'This Is A Call'. The performance sparked a connection, and over the years, Letterman became one of their biggest fans. “These gentlemen are with us tonight to honor the conclusion of our broadcast." He then added, “My favorite band, playing my favorite song.” The relationship between Letterman and Grohl deepened much after Letterman's heart surgery in 2000.
Per the Hollywood Reporter, Letterman had requested the band to perform the song 'Everlong' stating that, "It was very special to me." But when his show's crew people told him that the band was on a tour, Letterman was disheartened and said, “Oh, darn." Soon after he was told, “That’s all right. They canceled the tour. They are coming back to do the show. And they are doing the song that you asked for.” Letterman's happiness knew no bounds, he said, “Ladies and gentlemen, happily, ever since, we’ve been joined at the hip."
Speaking of this performance, the singer told IndyStar, “We dropped everything to do it.” He added, “I think we canceled a tour. It was an honor to be asked.” That night, the song took on an even greater significance, marking Letterman’s emotional return to late-night television. Since then, their relationship has thickened. According to Slate, in an interview, the singer said, “I think we mean a lot to each other.” Grohl further shared, “We’ve traded cigars, I’ve given him guitars and snare drums. We gave him a guitar once as a thank you, and he got really emotional with us. It clearly meant a lot to him.” 'Everlong' wasn't the only favorite song of Letterman.
The outlet also reported that during the band’s release of 'Sonic Highways', Letterman shared another story, this time about his son. “Years and years and years ago when I became a father, I recognized I was older than most fathers. And so did my son,” Letterman said. “And so... I said I have to find something I can do with my son, and we can do it together.” He added, “This is the second song of theirs that will always have great, great meaning for me the rest of my life."