This marks the first time the Global Icon Award has been given out at the American VMAs.
The Foo Fighters received the Global Icon Award at the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday night.
During the ceremony, which took place at the Barclays Center in New York City, the rock band was honored with the Global Icon Award, with Billie Eilish presenting the group with the award.
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Accepting their Moon Person, Foo frontman Dave Grohl and the band thanked MTV for the special honor and for the network’s support over the years.
“Thank you very much ladies and gentlemen for having us here tonight. It’s quite an award to receive,” said Grohl, 52. “We’ve been a band for 26 years, so feels pretty good!”
“We’d like to thank all of the people at MTV, past and present. We made a list,” he continued, naming several people, including former MTV VJs Kurt Loder, Tabitha Soren and Matt Pinfield. “Thank you all very much for this award. We’ll see you in 26 years.”
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This is the first time the Global Icon Award has been given out at the MTV Video Music Awards, however, it’s been awarded at the EMAs for years — with Whitney Houston, Queen and Eminem being a few of the previous notable winners.
The Global Icon Award “celebrates an artist/band whose unparalleled career and continued impact and influence has maintained a unique level of global success in music and beyond,” per MTV. The award “honor[s] the global icon who has left an indelible mark on the musical landscape and continues to influence, inspire, and evolve.”
Led by Grohl and founded in 1994, the Foo Fighters are a six-person band featuring Taylor Hawkins (drums), Nate Mendel (bass), Chris Shiflett (guitar), Rami Jaffee (keyboards and piano) and Pat Smear (guitar).
Before accepting their award, the Foos performed at the VMAs for the first time since 2007.
The band received four VMA nominations this year, including three nods for their “Shame, Shame” music video: Best Rock, Best Choreography, Best Cinematography. As for their VMA past, the Foo Fighters have received over 20 nominations and have previously won two.
