Life

Sleb Safari: Dave Grohl's alcohol soaked pre-show rituals

Maeve Connoly

Maeve Connolly

Maeve is the deputy digital editor at The Irish News. She has worked for the company since 2000.

 Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters likes to knock back a few drinks before he goes on stage
Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters likes to knock back a few drinks before he goes on stage Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters likes to knock back a few drinks before he goes on stage

AND so to Dave Grohl, he of the Foo Fighters and falling off stage frame. Everyone knows that performers, and by that Sleb Safari means singers, athletes and heads of year at school assemblies, are superstitious and have pre-show rituals which must not be deviated from for fear of divine retribution.

Well, Dave’s pre-show routine is more 'last orders at a free bar' than 'prayer circle'.

"An hour before the show, I have a Coors Light," he begins.

"About 50 minutes before the show I have a Jägermeister, then get another Coors going. Now there’s a bunch of people around, so I’m taking shots with everyone in the room.

"The next Coors Light is down. Twenty minutes before the gig I’ve had three or four shots of Jäger, three Coors and I start feeding shots of Jäg to the rest of the band, who are on champagne.

"I’m pounding them with Jäg, and I’m five or six shots in, and it’s time to go on stage, so I get another beer – just to have a cold one – and, as I walk on stage, I drink the last inch of the Jäg. And that’s been every night for the last year and a half.

"It’s why I don’t fear the Lord.”

Good God, man. You might not fear the Lord, but with that sort of nightly carry-on you should fear the Grim Reaper.

Dave broke his leg falling off the stage at a concert in Sweden a few years back. Most have been all that infused water from his BPA-free bottle...

Celebrity superstitions and pre-show rituals are a hoot.

Chris Martin from Coldplay once told the Melbourne Herald Sun there are "about 18 things I have to do before I can go out to perform" and most "are too ridiculous to repeat."

"One is I have to brush my teeth before I go on stage, otherwise I just don't feel smart."

Robert Plant likes to set up the ironing board.

"I've never really been one for diva demands. We were always too busy having a good time to get hung up about anything. It's not very rock 'n' roll, but I like to look my best going on stage," he once said, adding: "I find ironing helps get me in the mood before I perform.

"I've heard Keith Richards and Mick Jagger won't go on stage unless they've had a shepherd's pie. I don't go in for all that nonsense."

And Beyoncé? She prays. She gathers her crew, they hold hands and pray together which tbh sounds a whole lot healthier than caning Jägerbombs.

Chances are that if the Foo Fighters had her choreography they wouldn't bounce on to the stage with Dave Grohl-levels of alcohol sloshing through their veins either.

Gwyneth Paltrow's Honeymoon Plans

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Gwyneth Paltrow (@gwynethpaltrow) on

HEARTIEST of congratulations to celebrity jade egg enthusiast Gwyneth Paltrow who has married her soul mate (is there any other type of mate?) Brad Falchuk.

The couple tied the note in the Hamptons and are currently enjoying a sustained honeymoon, which is to be applauded. Heat magazine has the low-down, or at least it says it does.

"First, they want to go somewhere tropical such as Fiji or the Maldives," Heat reports.

"Then Gwyn wants to stay in a floating hotel on stilts in the south Pacific Ocean. They’re also looking to visit Rome, and then finish with a week at a five-star spa in Cabo, Mexico."

Sleb Safari kinda feels they might have had all this booked in advance rather than Gwyneth waking up in a floating hotel on stilts (oxymoron much?) one morning and exclaiming "Ooooooh, you know what would be nice? To spend all of November and a bit of December in Cabo. The kids’ dad can do the school run."

Michelle Williams explain her film choices

Michelle Williams is the latest entry to the ‘Slebs, they’re just like us’ canon.

Michelle was chewing the fat with the Hollywood Reporter and explaining her film choices.

"In my 20s, I wasn’t cognizant of retirement, the housing market or college tuition; I just did whatever the f*** I wanted to do. Now, I sometimes do what I want to do, but I also have to make decisions that take care of my family."

Welcome to the Just Like Us club Michelle: allow Sleb Safari to introduce you to Rod Stewart and Paul McCartney.

Social Media Smut