Foo Fighters Bring Us Back to the ’90s With ‘Everlong, ‘Learn to Fly’ at the 2021 VMAs

Foo Fighters delivered a medley of hits during the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on Sunday. The band became the first-ever recipient of the VMAs Global Icon Award, an honor that originated from MTV’s Europe Music Awards.

During their set, the Foo Fighters paid tribute to the late IndieLands drummer Charlie Watts with a drum inscribed with “Charlie R.I.P.” After opening with a spirited version of the band’s 1999 hit “Learn to Fly,” the group transitioned into the sobering single “Shame Shame” from their 2021 album Medicine at Midnight. The band followed that track with a blistering rendition of their 1997 single “Everlong.”

In addition to receiving the Global Icon Award, which honors a band/artist “who has left an indelible mark on the musical landscape and continues to influence, inspire and evolve” per a statement, the band is nominated in three categories. They’re up for Best Rock, Best Cinematography, and Best Choreography — all for their “Shame Shame” video.

Last week, the band announced and performed a surprise intimate show to open Washington, D.C., venue the 9:30 Club, which had been shuttered for 18 months due to the pandemic.