Dave Grohl plays dad before Leeds Festival marathon

Foo Fighters star Dave Grohl was just another dad at the zoo before his band took the stage at the Leeds Festival in England on Friday night (24Aug12).

The former Nirvana star took his daughters Violet and Harper to London Zoo on Thursday (23Aug12) and went largely unnoticed by other tourists, but was polite and courteous to those who recognized him, according to The Sun.

But he was anything but family friendly as he took to the stage on Friday to deliver a ferocious set of hits to close the first day of the festival.

The band, who last headlined the two-site weekend festival in 2005, played for well over two hours and welcomed Queen drummer Roger Taylor’s son Rufus to the stage for a rendition of the British supergroup's Tie Your Mother Down.

Grohl was clearly touched by the reception his band received and as he closed the set with Everlong, he told fans, "To be a headliner is a huge f**king honor. We never expected to play to an audience this big."

The Cure closed the first night of the event's sister festival in Reading with another monster two-hour-plus hits set - the band's first appearance at the weekend spectacular since 1989 - finishing off the show with early classic Boys Don't Cry.