Chris Shiflett admits to finding solo career “challenging”
Chris Shiflett has opened up about the task of becoming a frontman, describing it as “challenging”.
The singer-songwriter and Foo Fighters lead guitarist has released three solo albums since 2017, but as he has revealed in a new interview, he continues to feel more at home on the side of the stage than under the central spotlight.
Speaking to Classic Rock (via Music News), he described the transition to frontman as being “challenging”, adding: “Guitar playing is my comfort zone.”
“But to be the singer and then also have to talk to the crowd, I had to work at that. What you realise is that people want to have a good time. They’ve hired a sitter, bought tickets, bought a few drinks, maybe bought a t-shirt, they’ve invested in the evening.”
“So that’s my job up on stage, to provide them with a good time,” he continued. “Once I figured that out, things got a lot better.”
Shiflett has announced details of a UK and Ireland tour, to take place in March 2024. He will open the run with a show at the Dublin Academy on March 20. From there, he will make his way to Belfast, Glasgow, Manchester and Birmingham, before wrapping up on March 27 at the Electric Ballroom in London. Get your tickets here.
Shiflett joined Foo Fighters in 1999, shortly after the release of their third album ‘There Is Nothing Left to Lose’. He has played on all eight of their albums since then.
In October, he released his third solo studio album, ‘Lost At Sea’, which was primarily written during the COVID-19 lockdowns. Its release came just a couple of months after Foo Fighters released ‘But Here We Are’, their first record without late drummer Taylor Hawkins.
In other news, the guitarist recently launched a new video series called ‘Shred with Shifty’ where he interviews some of the guitar greats, delving into their most iconic solos and the art of playing guitar. Guests so far have included Nile Rogers, Alex Lifeson of Rush, Rivers Cuomo of Weezer, Brad Paisley and more.
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Max Pilley
NME
