How Florence Welch's Glasto cover of Foo Fighters' Times Like These made Dave Grohl cry

14 January 2026, 18:14 | Updated: 14 January 2026, 18:16

Florence Welch at Glastonbury Festival 2015 with Dave Grohl inset. Picture: Raphael Dias/Getty Images, Jim Dyson/Getty Images

The singer-songwriter belted out the classic 2003 Foo Fighters hit when she stood in for the band at Glastonbury 2015.

Dave Grohl penned Times Like These for Foo Fighters' fourth studio album One by One - with bandmates Taylor Hawkins, Nate Mendel and Chris Shiflett also on the writing credits.

The 2003 track has been a staple of the Foos setlist for almost two decades and never fails to get the crowd in their feels, but back in 2015 it even moved Grohl to tears when Florence + The Machine covered it at Glastonbury Festival.

Get the story behind the performance and Dave Grohl's response here...

Read more:

What are Foo Fighters' biggest songs?

Dave Grohl and co were famously set to play the Somerset festival in 2015, but the frontman off stage and broke his leg during the band's show in Gothenburg in Sweden two weeks later, forcing them to cancel their shows while Grohl had emergency surgery.

Dave Grohl - "I think I just broke my leg" Sweden 2015

Florence + The Machine were moved up the slot, taking on headlining duties instead of the Learn To Fly rockers.

As with every decision made by the festival, there were a few naysayers who weren't sure if Florence Welch and co could fill the shoes of such a huge band on the Pyramid Stage.

However, Michael and Emily Eavis proved critics wrong, with the band delivering an electrifying set on the Friday night of the festival.

Much to everyone's surprise, Welch paid tribute to the rocker by singing a rendition of Times Like These at at the start of her set.

Florence + The Machine - Times Like These - Live At Glastonbury 2015

Recalling how he cried when watching her performance, Grohl told Radio X's Gordon Smart: "I remember when I heard that Florence + The Machine were playing. I was really excited because I love them and I love her, and knowing that they were taking our place made me really happy."

He added: "And then I heard that they did a cover of our song, Times Like These, and I was in a wheelchair with my laptop listening to it, and it really got me choked up man. Tears started coming down my face. Not (because) I’d missed the show, but it was such a touching moment for me personally."

Dave Grohl pays tribute to Florence

When the Foos managed to finally headline Glastonbury festival in 2017, Dave sang the song back as a tribute to Florence's performance.

Speaking to the crowd at the festival, Grohl said: "And my friend, Florence, got to headline that year. And I'm very happy that that happened. Because you know what? I thought she should have been headlining anyway... And all of a sudden, she started playing a Foo Fighters song. Way better than we've ever played a Foo Fighters song..."

Watch Foos performance here:

Foo Fighters - Times Like These (Live at Glastonbury Festival 2017)

WATCH: Foo Fighters & Chris Martin join stars for Prince tribute concert

23 years after the song was first released, and 11 years on from Florence's tribute, Times Like These has gone on to become even more poignant for the band.

Foo Fighters were drafted in for the 2021 celebrations of Joe Biden, which took place in isolation. The band did stirring rendition of the single, using it as a symbol for hope.

Foo Fighters perform Times Like These for Biden Inauguration celebrations

After the tragic loss of Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, Dave Grohl took to the stage at the tribute concerts in London and LA for a heartbreaking stripped-back performance of the 2003 single, which stunned and touched the audiences in equal measure.