Foo Fighters And Rick Astley Shock Fans With Live Version Of “Never Gonna Give You Up”

Foo Fighters are known for keeping things lively, and their London O2 show was no different. During the concert, they surprised the crowd by bringing out Rick Astley for a special rendition of his iconic hit “Never Gonna Give You Up.” The band cleverly blended Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” with the chords of Astley’s famous song, while Astley added a rock twist to his smooth ’80s vocals.

The collaboration turned out to be an unexpected success, with fans in the stadium going wild. The energy was electric, and it was clear that both the band and the audience were having an absolute blast. This joy wasn’t just confined to the venue—fans online also loved the performance, with the video racking up 9.1 million views.

At the time of the performance, Astley was 52 years old and had already retired from music once. Despite this, his voice was in top form, and Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl couldn’t hide his excitement during the performance. His smile never left his face as the rock and pop worlds collided on stage.

Interestingly, Foo Fighters and Rick Astley share a history of surprising collaborations. Grohl and Astley have teamed up multiple times, including an impromptu performance of “Never Gonna Give You Up” in Tokyo. Astley later returned the favor by covering Foo Fighters’ hit “Everlong” in the studio, a rendition that also became popular online, garnering 5.3 million views.

Astley’s cover of “Everlong” was performed on acoustic guitar and stayed true to the original while adding his unique vocal dynamics. The result was a beautiful and heartfelt rendition that impressed fans and critics alike.

In an interview with Virgin Radio UK, Astley shared the story behind his first collaboration with Foo Fighters in Japan. He revealed that the performance was completely spontaneous and unrehearsed. Astley explained that he was on the same festival lineup as Foo Fighters and was watching their set from the side of the stage because he admires Grohl and Taylor Hawkins.

According to Astley, a Foo Fighters roadie handed him a microphone and said, “Dave wants you onstage.” Despite being jet-lagged and having had a few beers, Astley jumped at the opportunity. He was surprised to learn that the band had already practiced “Never Gonna Give You Up” with the idea of having him perform it at the festival.

Astley described the experience as surreal, saying, “I ended up singing to 50,000 people with the Foo Fighters on a weird and wonderful version of ‘Never Gonna Give You Up.’ It was proper nuts.” He added a lighthearted warning for anyone searching for the video on YouTube, noting that “there’s quite a bit of swearing at the beginning because I just lost myself in that moment.”