Foo Fighters Cover The Vaselines' "Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam" at BottleRock

Foo Fighters headlined BottleRock Napa Valley with Dave Grohl revisiting his Nirvana past by leading a live cover of The Vaselines’ “Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam” for the first time in the band’s history. The performance occurred midway through the Saturday night set, with Grohl on howling lead vocals and longtime keyboardist Rami Jaffee on accordion. The raw rendition mirrored the stripped-down approach associated with Nirvana, which often covered the song under the altered title “Jesus Doesn’t Want Me for a Sunbeam” in the early 1990s. The track originally appeared on The Vaselines’ 1987 EP Dying for It and became closely linked to Nirvana after their MTV Unplugged in New York performance. Grohl also offered personal dedications, including “Aurora” for Taylor Hawkins and a slowed-down “Big Me” for Jordyn Blum.

"Dave Grohl revisited his Nirvana past during Foo Fighters' headlining set at BottleRock Napa Valley over the weekend, leading the band through a live cover of The Vaselines' "Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam" for the first time in the group's history."

"The performance took place midway through Foo Fighters' Saturday night set, with Grohl handling the howling lead vocals while longtime keyboardist Rami Jaffee accompanied him on accordion. The raw rendition echoed the stripped-down arrangement made famous by Nirvana, who frequently covered the track under the altered title "Jesus Doesn't Want Me for a Sunbeam" during the early 1990s."

"Originally released by The Vaselines on their 1987 EP Dying for It, the song became closely associated with Nirvana after the band incorporated it into their live sets throughout the early 1990s. Nirvana's most famous rendition appeared on MTV Unplugged in New York, recorded on November 18th, 1993, and released posthumously on November 1st, 1994 - roughly seven months after Kurt Cobain's death."

"The BottleRock appearance also featured several personal dedications from Grohl throughout the evening, including performances of "Aurora" in honor of late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins and "Big Me," which Grohl delivered in a slowed-down solo arrangement dedicated to his wife, Jordyn Blum."

Read at Consequence