TOKYO, Aug 21 — Foo Fighters just took everyone’s guilty-pleasure track Never Gonna Give You Up to the next level.
The band who were headlining the Summersonic Festival in Japan yesterday treated fans to a surprise performance with none other than Rick Astley.
The 80s pop legend, who was also performing at the festival, joined the band for an expletive-riddled rock version of his hit. (Sorry, mum; Astley is no longer your favourite goodie-two-shoes boy-next-door. Even drummer Taylor Hawkins can be seen laughing in disbelief.)
Frontman Dave Grohl announced to the audience that he’d just met the singer “two minutes ago” before inviting him on stage to rapturous applause.
“Ladies and gentlemen, would you please welcome our new best friend, Rick Astley,” frontman Grohl said in a clip shared on YouTube. “This is f****** crazy. I just met him two minutes ago.”
Afterwards, both Astley and Foo Fighters took to Twitter, with the former writing: “Thank you ‘Summersonic’ just had one of the best nights of my life!!! My gig was great then @foofighters! Just nuts! Lovely people.”
Thank you 'Summer sonic' just had one of the best nights of my life !!! My gig was great then @foofighters ! Just nuts !
Lovely people 😀X pic.twitter.com/rPMSqhcesjAdvertisement— Rick Astley (@rickastley) August 20, 2017
The official Foo Fighters feed, meanwhile, shared a picture showing Grohl pulling faces with Astley.
https://t.co/AKJYUUApXX pic.twitter.com/2036HD7c8R
— Foo Fighters (@foofighters) August 20, 2017
The on-stage collab is the culmination of a well-documented mutual admiration that both acts have for each other.
Astley has in the past shared a video of himself covering the Foo Fighters’ hit Everlong.
Two years ago, Foo Fighters drove past a demonstration by the controversial Westboro Baptist Church, while blaring out a recording of Never Gonna Give You Up on a loudspeaker.
Watch the performance below (Warning: Explicit language):
