The Magic Man Showed Up Again
Dave Grohl is the magic man of the LA metal scene. He’s at shows — actual metal shows — hanging in the crowd, talking to bands, and now apparently sitting in on drums when the moment calls for it. I’m not even a huge Sepultura guy myself, but I’m always scanning the room at LA shows hoping to catch exactly this kind of thing.
On Friday, May 29, at the Wiltern Theater — the final US stop of Sepultura’s farewell tour — Grohl walked onstage unannounced midway through the set to add percussion to “Kaiowas,” the acoustic centerpiece from 1993’s Chaos AD. No announcement, no teaser. He just showed up and played.
Grohl’s Sepultura fandom isn’t performed. He’s been talking about them for decades. In 2016 he called them “one of my favourite heavy metal bands of all time.” In 2017 he revealed that Nirvana once seriously considered having them as an opener — before it never happened. These aren’t throwaway celebrity endorsements. This is a guy who actually grew up on this music and never stopped paying attention.
The fact that the moment happened on Kaiowas specifically is worth noting. It’s not a rager. It’s one of the most stripped-down, emotionally raw things Sepultura ever recorded — an indigenous protest piece, all percussion and atmosphere, zero electric guitars. That Grohl picked that song, on the last US date of a farewell tour, to walk out and contribute to — that’s not a stunt. That’s respect.
Still waiting on the straight metal record, Dave. The scene will be ready.
Source: Metal Hammer / Louder Sound