Nandi Bushell, the 11-year old drummer from Ipswich, Suffolk, has finally played Everlong with Dave Grohl and Foo Fighters live on stage, following their 2020 summer online drum battles.
Nandi finally joined Foo Fighters onstage at the Los Angeles Forum on 26 August, and the film has been shared on her YouTube page.
Everlong
The drum battle began when Nandi, then ten, shared her cover of Everlong online with the message, ​”Mr Grohl, I would love to have a drum battle with you.”
Dave responded in a video, saying he had not played the song since he recorded it in 1997. “Nandi, in the last week,” he said, “I had at least 100 texts from people all over the world saying, ​’This girl is challenging you to a drum-off. What are you going to do?'”
Sat at his 11-year-old daughter Harper’s drum kit, he then challenged Nandi to play Dead End Friends by Them Crooked Vultures, saying, ​”Now the ball is on your court.” That set the drum challenge rolling in some style.
Dave has spoken about how Nandi helped to inspire him in releasing the album Medicine At Midnight. “I guess over time I just realised that [touring] is not the only reason that we do this,” Dave told Kerrang.
“We make these songs to be heard. The thing that inspired me the most to release this album was that drum battle I had with Nandi.
“More than just some back and forth between two musicians, this battle of technical proficiency, it was spreading joy and happiness. People would turn on their computer or phone, and for three and a half minutes, they would smile because a 10-year-old girl was kicking my fucking ass in a drum battle.
“To me, that’s what the world needed.”
Hey @Nandi_Bushell!
Challenge accepted.
Haven’t played these songs in a loooooong time…..thanks for the inspiration!!!
Your move!!!
Your friend in rock,
Dave(Thanks to my daughter, Harper for letting me borrow her drum set) pic.twitter.com/Ytq47CcZRC
— Foo Fighters (@foofighters) August 29, 2020