Nandi Bushell Finally Joins Foo Fighters in Concert

"I came face to face with my archnemesis," frontman Dave Grohl said of his 11-year-old challenger

BY Allie GregoryPublished Aug 27, 2021

Nandi Bushell — the 11-year-old drummer that challenged Dave Grohl in a drum-off (and won) — has finally teamed up with Foo Fighters and her "archnemesis," frontman Grohl, for an in-person performance.

During the Foos' concert at the Forum in Los Angeles last night (August 26), Grohl recounted the story of learning about Bushell's superhuman drumming chops and his eventual loss to her in their drumming contest.

Grohl recalled their strange origin story in a lengthy monologue, before introducing Bushell and bringing her out on stage to perform:

There is this person. One day I pick up my phone and my friends are all texting me like, "Have you seen this shit?" And I click on a link and I look at it and I see that someone is challenging me to a drum-off. So I'm like, "Well, isn't that nice." I kind of brush it off, I'm like, "Ah, that's kind of funny." All my friends start telling me, "No, dude. You have to step up. This is the real deal. This is a drum challenge. This is a drum-off." So I respond. I'm like, "Alright, I'll play nice, I'll put on a little thing." And then she comes back. And she flips my fucking ass in front of the entire planet.

Tonight was the first night that we met and I came face to face with my archnemesis. But of course, this person inspired me last year so much, and I'll tell you why. Because in a time where you would pick up your phone or turn on a computer and all you had was bad news, for that one day, you could pick up your phone and see this connection between two people that have never met making music together and spreading joy and love all across the world.

So ladies and gentlemen, would you please welcome the most badass drummer in the world, my new friend, Nandi! We've had the honour to jam with some pretty amazing people over the years. Maybe some Beatles, maybe some Stones, maybe some Pink Floyds. But let me tell you something. This one right now, takes the cake, that we get to jam with Nandi right now.


Bushell then appeared on the stage and went on to help the band perform "Everlong" for their closing song.

Later, the young musician celebrated the event in a post, writing "It Happened!!! It was #EPIC!!! Tonight I jammed with the @foofighters live @theforum!!! Wow!!! What an INCREDIBLE night!"

Watch footage from the performance below.


Latest Coverage