How Florence Welch’s Glasto Cover Made Dave Grohl Cry

The Night Florence Welch Healed Glastonbury

In the summer of 2015, the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury was facing a crisis. Just days before the festival, Foo Fighters were forced to pull out of their headlining slot after frontman Dave Grohl famously snapped his leg during a show in Sweden.

Stepping into the void was Florence + The Machine. While some skeptics wondered if the art-pop siren could match the raw energy of a rock titan like Grohl, Florence Welch didn't just fill the slot—she transformed it into a moment of pure, communal catharsis.

A Tribute Born of Respect

Midway through her triumphant set, Florence took a moment to acknowledge the "legendary" man who should have been standing there. "Dave, if you're listening, we love you," she told the crowd before launching into a stripped-back, hauntingly beautiful rendition of the Foo Fighters’ anthem, "Times Like These."

While the original is a driving rock track about resilience, Florence reimagined it as a sweeping, orchestral hymn. Her powerhouse vocals captured the vulnerability of the lyrics:

"It's times like these you learn to live again / It's times like these you give and give again."

The View from the Sofa

Miles away, Dave Grohl was watching the broadcast from his home, his leg in a cast and his heart heavy from missing the career-defining gig. In later interviews, Grohl confessed that he wasn't prepared for the emotional weight of the performance.

"The day they played, someone sent me a link to the performance," Grohl told NME. "When she sang 'Times Like These,' I cried like a baby. It was the most beautiful thing. I was so touched."

For Grohl, hearing his own words of struggle and recovery sung back to him by one of the most powerful voices in music—while he was literally in the process of healing—was a full-circle moment. He noted that the gesture "meant the world" to him and solidified his lifelong fandom of Welch.

Why It Resonated

The performance became one of the most iconic "replacement" sets in Glastonbury history for several reasons:

• Authenticity: Florence didn't try to "rock out" like the Foos; she made the song her own.

• Solidarity: It turned a potential disappointment (the headliner cancellation) into a celebration of the music community.

• Timing: The lyrics of "Times Like These" perfectly mirrored the physical and professional hurdle Grohl was facing at that exact moment.

When Foo Fighters finally returned to headline Glastonbury in 2017, the bond was sealed. Grohl dedicated their performance of "Best of You" to Florence, proving that a moment of kindness on a rainy English field can turn a broken leg into a beautiful legacy.

Source - https://www.radiox.co.uk/artists/foo-fighters/why-dave-grohl-cried-at-florence-machines-glasto-cover-times-like-these/

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