‘The Rockin' 1000' astounds, convinces Dave Grohl, Foo Fighters to perform in Cesena, Italy

IN PHOTO: Singer Dave Grohl departs Ed Sullivan Theater in Manhattan after taking part in the taping of tonight's final edition of "The Late Show" with David Letterman in New York May 20, 2015. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

Italian man Fabio Zaffagnini has helped convince Foo Fighters frontrunner Dave Grohl to have his band perform in Italy, after organising a musical feat that involves 1000 musicians playing the band’s hit classic “Learn to Fly” in Cesena’s Hippodrome Park on July 26. The synchronised performance was captured on video and caught the attention of the singer, who in turn vowed to perform in Cesena, Italy.

In a video message posted on July 31 on Foo Fighters’ official YouTube channel, Grohl addressed Zaffagnini in Italian, where he complimented him on the video and applauded the efforts of the musical group called “The Rockin’ 1000.” A translation of Grohl’s message has been posted by a Facebook commentator named Jade Rose Faugno.

"We are arriving [coming], I promise. We’ll see each other soon,” Grohl said. The Foo Fighters frontman ended his message by expressing his love and gratitude to his fans.

It reportedly took Zaffagnini a year to organise the stunt. The die-hard Foo Fighters fan initially planned the event in May 2014, according to Italy’s ANSA News agency. Time adds that Zaffagnini, along with other fans of the band, had to raise around $50,000 ($AU68,000) in a crowdfunding campaign to pull off the musical feat. It took seven months after the initial planning for the amount to be achieved.

In a statement, Zaffagnini said “The Rockin’ 1000” was his “crazy idea” to convince Foo Fighters to return to Emilia-Romagna 18 years after their last performance. The joint effort was an attempt to entice the band to add Cesena as one of their show destinations in Italy, which they have been scheduled to appear in the Bologna province Casalecchio di Reno on Nov. 13 and in Turin on Nov. 14.

“The Rockin’ 1000” comprises a total of 350 guitarists, 250 singers, 250 drummers and 150 bassists. Marco Sabiu, who had previously worked with Pavarotti and the 80s boy band Take That, also joined the group as orchestra director. Zaffagnini’s campaign also received the support of Cesena’s city council Confcommercio and Confartigiano, and the backing of 29 schools and music circles. A video of the group's performance has been posted on their official YouTube page and has since received over 16 million views as of this writing.

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