'SNL': Foo Fighters Receive Roaring Response After Playing New and Classic Songs

Michael Hein

11/08/2020 02:59 pm EST

With all eyes on Saturday Night Live this weekend amid the 2020 presidential election news, Foo Fighters took the stage as this week's musical guests. The band did its best to match a high-energy night around the country, and fans were quick to share their thoughts on social media.

Foo Fighters were announced as the post-election musical guests on SNL on Wednesday, joining the previously announced host Dave Chappelle. Chappelle hosted SNL after Trump won the election in 2016, and in many ways, his presence on Saturday seemed like a meaningful choice. Fans were not as certain of Foo Fighters for this context, but many were in such high spirits that they were ready to rock out regardless.

According to a Vulture report, Foo Fighters have been the musical guests on SNL seven times before, spanning from 1995 to 2017. The rock band is iconic in its way, though it does not have the same legendary status of other frequent SNL guests like Mick Jagger of Rolling Stones, for example.

This broadcast was an auspicious episode for the band to make its eighth appearance, hot on the heels of The Associated Press and other news outlets projecting that former Vice President Joe Biden has won the 2020 election. The news is not set in stone yet, but given SNL's history of criticizing President Donald Trump, it naturally became the centerpiece of the episode.

Emboldened by the election projections, fans were not shy with their feelings about Foo Fighters this weekend. Here is a look at what they had to say.

'Beautiful Voice'

Die-hard Foo Fighters fans thought the band's performance was the perfect thing to punctuate a historic day in the U.S. Many applauded the choice of the song "Times Like These."

'Best Show'

Though it was embedded in this week's SNL, some fans claimed that this was one of the best Foo Fighters performances they've ever seen. The fact that it was a live debut of new material didn't hurt.

Patriotic

Aside from the performance itself, fans were loving the patriotic photos of Foo Fighters at the transitions between commercial breaks. They thought the band struck a diplomatic chord in the current political climate.

New Material

On the other hand, not everyone was happy that Foo Fighters used new material for their SNL performance. Many wished the band had stuck to the classics, especially on a day when the nation was preoccupied with other matters.

Promotion

Many fans dutifully took up the task of promoting the new Foo Fighters material after it debuted on SNL, tagging their friends and campaigning to make the songs hits.

Guests

For some fans, this weekend's guests helped make this a particularly great episode of SNL, and that included Foo Fighters. The fact that they joined stars like Jim Carrey, Alec Baldwin and Dave Chappelle was icing on the cake.

Throwbacks

Finally, Foo Fighters have a long history on SNL, so seeing them this weekend sent many fans on a trip down memory lane. They recalled their favorite past performances, and behind-the-scenes clips as well.

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