The Foo Fighters and the Rockin' 1000
This magical story starts with curiosity...
Greetings, friends —
So lately I’ve been writing (and reading) some heavy stuff. Researching Kitty Genovese and Milkshake Ducks was interesting - but tiring.
And on top of that, I’ve written about what’s happening in the world - stories inspired by Andrew Cuomo’s sexual harassment allegations to sexism in the NCAA Tournament. All interesting to research and write about - but also tiring.
So - I went wanted to write a piece this week that would bring JOY. For me, that usually starts by learning something about movies or music.
And this week’s story was a joy to discover - and I can (almost) guarantee that it will make you smile, too.
It shows the power of following your curiosity - and reminds us that we are all capable of using our creativity to do great things!
I hope you enjoy it.
(It involves this guy - who’s clearly loving life!)
Here’s is a story about Fabio Zaffagnini …
In 2014, Fabio had a dream…
He was listening to a Foo Fighters song on the radio and thought it’d be ‘very cool to see them’ play a concert in his hometown, Cesena.
But how do you convince a huge band to have a concert in a small city in Italy?
You get creative.
Fabio found inspiration in an unlikely source – the 2003 Jack Black comedy film School of Rock.
“On the DVD, there’s a bonus feature where he says if you really want something, you have to ask – and it works better if there are a thousand people screaming behind you.” Fabio said.
With that thought in his mind, Fabio decided to make ‘the biggest tribute ever to a rock band’ – and make a plea to the Foo Fighters.
He wanted to bring together 1000 musicians – a combination of singers, drummers, guitar and bass players – to play one Foo Fighters song, and invite the band to come to Cesena.
And though Fabio’s dream sounded impossible, his passion was contagious.
He pulled together a team to help on logistics, and they started raising money for expenses and equipment. They built a website, and began auditioning musicians.
The project – called the “Rockin’ 1000” – faced resistance along the way.
“We think these kind of things can happen in other countries, but not Italy. Every time we’d tell sponsors or musicians about the idea, they’d say it was cool but it’d never happen,” Fabio said.
But he and his team stayed true to their vision – and persisted.
They managed to turn a local park in Cesena into a performance space, and brought in toilets, structures, microphones, cables and electricity to make the event happen.
And on July 26, 2015, the Rockin’ 1000 came together in Cesena, and played a one-off rendition of the Foo Fighters’ upbeat anthem, Learn to Fly.
A crew of 100 volunteers helped with production, and a video unit filmed the performance using 30 cameras.
After their performance, Fabio made his plea to the band:
“Italy is a country where dreams cannot easily come true,” he said. “But it’s a land of passion and creativity. What we did here is a huge miracle.”
“We ask you, the Foo Fighters, to come and play for us in Cesena.”
A video of Fabio and the Rockin’ 1000 quickly went viral, viewed by millions around the world – including the Foo Fighters.
The band responded with a tweet and link to the video, writing: “Ci vediamo a presto, Cesena,” which means “See you soon, Cesena.”
And three months later, Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Nate Mendel, Chris Shiflett and Pat Smear came to Cesena and gave Fabio and the Rockin’ 1000 a concert to remember.
During the concert, frontman Grohl dedicated their song My Hero to Fabio, and told the crowd that seeing the video of the Rockin’ 1000 performing Learn to Fly, was ‘the greatest moment’ of his life.
More Recent Writing from me
What Kind of Role Model is This? - Arizona Women’s Basketball Coach Adia Barnes led the Wildcats all the way to the NCAA Tournament finals, but people are asking what kind of role model she is after cameras caught her using profanity. Detective Collier investigates…
My Boyfriend Is In Jail - What’s it like to live in one of the most exciting cities in the world and stuck in your house for a year? I figure it’s like having your boyfriend in jail. And my ex-boyfriend (Wellington, New Zealand) is trying to entice me back…
Why Do Schools Still Operate Like it’s 1950? - Most kids don’t have stay-at-home parents in 2021 - but our expectations of parents haven’t changed with the times.
Should people be cancelled - or educated? Alexi McCammond lost her job as Editor-in-Chief at Teen Vogue before she even started due to offensive tweets she made 10 years ago. She should be called out for what she said - but how long should she be punished?
2021 is a great year to strengthen your communication, creativity, and leadership skills! Check out my website or get in touch to find out how I help leaders and teams improve their performance and prepare for the Future of Work!
Until next time!
-Beth
Love it! Funny enough, I also got the Fooeys to play in my town - though not in as spectacular style as this. Remind me to tell you about it someday 😉