Dave Grohl has seen plenty in his days as a drummer for Nirvana and the frontman of the Foo Fighters.  Warren, Ohio paid tribute to Grohl by renaming Market Street Alley.  The new name is David Grohl Alley.  Grohl was born in Warren in 1969 at Trumbull Memorial Hospital, which was in perfect view from the Trumbull County Courthouse lawn, the setting for Saturday’s festivities. 

My path to meet Grohl was awkward and lucky at the same time.  I was in a small shed-like building interviewing one of the event coordinators, Jennifer Campbell of an organization called Main Street Warren.  Luckily for me it was too loud to capture her answers as bands were playing in a closed-off area.  Campbell led me into the building where we sat and discussed how Main Street Warren could pull off such a fete.  As I neared the end of a ten minute interview, the door opened and in came Grohl with his father, Jim, and his stepmother Renie Grohl.

Jim and Renie are still residents of the area.  Jim seemed unphased by the gathering of people and Renie was more concerned that her friends and family had refreshments.  Before anyone else got in, I was able to snap many good photos and catch a few quotes.  If shaking hands with an icon like Grohl doesn’t put chills up your spine, nothing will – you may not have a spine. 

Dave was cordial with everyone who approached him.  A group of the organizers children swarmed for autographs and Grohl responded by signing every single item handed to him.  He posed with young and old.  The thing that impressed me most about this guy was how much of a normal person he ended up coming across as.  He talked with the young fans about getting his start playing in clubs and not losing sight of his dreams.

The direct dialogue I had with Grohl was brief.  I shook his hand before I had to exit the building and thanked him for being as cool as it gets.  “No, thank you for being here to cover something that means so much to me”, Grohl replied.

“When I was a kid, I used to love to come here”, Grohl said about the big park atmosphere, “This is one of my favorite places in the world.”

About an hour later, Grohl came out to a nice response and played with a local band Love Turns Hate.  He sat at a second drum kit, and jammed with a band whose song he never heard before.  He then collaborated with the band to cover a Led Zeppelin classic, Rock & Roll.  He can still smack the skins pretty well.

A formal presentation followed with Grohl getting a key to the city and thanking many people.  “This means a lot to me.  I’m very, very proud to have this, and you guys”, Grohl remarked.  Grohl also talked about his roots to the Mahoning Valley and how his grandfather worked at Republic Steel. 

Dave Grohl then showed everyone why he desrved something like this ‘In His Honor’.  The acoustic guitar popped out and Grohl played a solo acoustic set comprised of “Times Like These”, “My Hero”, and “Everlong”.  He sounded great and had the crowd eating out of the palm of his hand.

Grohl’s appearance in Warren was in question up until the eleventh hour.  He gets back every now and then to visit family, but has a ‘rockstar’ agenda.  The event would have went off with or without Grohl, although it would not have been nearly as special without him.

The Trumbull Art Gallery artists made the alley sharp.  To see all of the images and paintings everywhere was truly special.  Main Street Warren spokesperson Jennifer Campbell said the artwork in the alley will continue to evolve and update with Grohl’s career.  It is pretty laid out and a must-see for any Nirvana or Foo Fighter fan.  Special thanks to Jenn for allowing me such private access to an icon in a music industry in need of people like Dave Grohl.

12 Responses to “Up Close With Dave Grohl, Foo Fighter Honored Locally”