According to Consequence.net, Dave Grohl shared his Nirvana past during the Foo Fighters’ headlining set at BottleRock Napa Valley over the weekend by 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 18, 1993 and released posthumously on November 1st, 1994, which was 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

Photo Credit: Boston Lynn Schulz