Drummer Plays Foo Fighters Entire Discography In One Take For Charity

Nashville professional drummer Greg Barton played all 128 songs in the Foo Fighters discography in one sitting last Friday (June 7).

The endeavour, designed to raise money for the Cancer Research Institute, took Barton over nine hours. The entire set was livestreamed and later posted to YouTube.

Raising more than $7,700 for the charity, Barton declared the undertaking a success.

“Couldn’t be happier with how it turned out,” he said in a post on Instagram. “Not only did we smash our fundraising goal, but I made it the distance and had an absolute blast along the way.”

The nine-hour stint was brutal, with hand cramps hitting Barton by song 57.  “I truly thought I might DNF… I think pure adrenaline carried me through the last three albums.”

Thankfully, he was able to take a well-deserved break on the five Foo Fighters songs that don’t have any drums, and was able to finish the discography. 

In a monologue added to the YouTube video of the set, Barton explained why he chose the Foo Fighters for this task: “Some of the first songs I ever learned were Foo Fighters songs. There’s something about finding songs during challenging times in your life that kind of bonds you to them,” he said. “And even though my influences are all over the map now, I still find myself coming back to their music.”

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He went on to say that he met late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins in 2019, and the news of his passing was unbelievable. Barton decided to do something as a tribute to Hawkins, and that’s when his idea was born.

Barton had previously suffered a wrist injury, and couldn’t play the drums without pain for three years. He ended up having surgery for the injury, and was concerned he would never play the drums again.

“I hope this inspires you to never give up on your passion and seek help when you need it, because emotional vulnerability and inner strength go hand-in-hand,” he said. 

Barton also dedicated his performance to his grandmother, who is currently battling cancer.

The link to donate to the Cancer Research Institute is still open, and you can find it here.