Skip to main content

The context you need, when you need it

When news breaks, you need to understand what actually matters — and what to do about it. At Vox, our mission to help you make sense of the world has never been more vital. But we can’t do it on our own.

We rely on readers like you to fund our journalism. Will you support our work and become a Vox Member today?

Join now

This video of 1,000 people performing a Foo Fighters song will make everything better

Emily St. James
Emily St. James was a senior correspondent for Vox, covering American identities. Before she joined Vox in 2014, she was the first TV editor of the A.V. Club.

Look, I am not a huge Foo Fighters fan. I don’t even really like “Learn to Fly,“ one of the rock band’s signature hits.

But just watch the video above. Look at it. It’s one of the finest achievements of human culture maybe ever. I guarantee you, no matter how you feel about this song, or this band, or the nation of Italy, you will come out of this video feeling better about everything.

One thousand people gathered in an Italian field to perform “Learn to Fly.” The drummers play in perfect synchronization. The guitarists rock out in 4/4 time. The singers hop around and smile in the gleaming sun. It’s like the “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke” ad if what was being sold was the incredibly specific desire to have the Foo Fighters come play a concert in Cesena, Italy.

The drummers are in perfect synchronization.

Coordinate those guitar movements, folks.

Yes, the goal of the above performance was literally just to get the Foos to come and play the kind of small town (just under 100,000 people) that the band would normally skip on a tour like this. But as a sales pitch, it’s pretty damn great. Cesena seems like the best place to hang out ever, thanks to this performance.

And it worked! The Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl has promised to swing by — in Italian, no less.

Ci vediamo a presto, Cesena.... xxx Davide

Posted by Foo Fighters on Friday, July 31, 2015

So now you know all you need to know about how to get your favorite band to visit your town: Get 1,000 people together and rehearse your favorite song enough times to perform it perfectly. No pressure.

Yaaaaayyyyyy!


Vox Featured Video

See More:

More in Culture

Life
What is an aging face supposed to look like?What is an aging face supposed to look like?
Life

When bodies and appearances are malleable, what does that mean for the person underneath?

By Allie Volpe
Video
What would J.R.R. Tolkien think of Palantir?What would J.R.R. Tolkien think of Palantir?
Play
Video

How The Lord of the Rings lore helps explain the mysterious tech company.

By Benjamin Stephen
Climate
The climate crisis is coming for your groceriesThe climate crisis is coming for your groceries
Climate

Extreme heat is already wiping out soy, coffee, berries, and Christmas trees. Farm animals and humans are suffering too.

By Ayurella Horn-Muller
Future Perfect
The surprisingly strong case for feeling great about your coffee habitThe surprisingly strong case for feeling great about your coffee habit
Future Perfect

Your morning coffee is one of modern life’s underrated miracles.

By Bryan Walsh
Good Medicine
Do health influencers actually know what they’re talking about?Do health influencers actually know what they’re talking about?
Good Medicine

Most health influencers don’t have real credentials — but they are more influential than ever.

By Dylan Scott
Life
Why banning kids from AI isn’t the answerWhy banning kids from AI isn’t the answer
Life

What kids really need in the age of artificial intelligence.

By Anna North