Dave Paulson

dnpaulson@tennessean.com

UPDATE (8:10 a.m.) - Peter Cooper was in the audience at last night's show, and shares his report:

Dave Grohl has made his mark playing high-volume rock 'n' roll shows for multiple thousands of people at a time.

But Wednesday evening, Grohl appeared at the Bluebird Cafe for a quiet, unannounced hour of solo/acoustic music in front of fewer than 100 patrons.

"My name's Dave Grohl. I'm a drummer," he said at show's outset, though there were no drums in sight. He has drummed famously for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band Nirvana and fronted his own Grammy-winning group, Foo Fighters, but Wednesday's set was a contemplative, percussion-free affair. Grohl strummed an acoustic guitar and didn't detail his reasons for playing the Bluebird, but a camera crew captured the event.

"The heart and soul of this city is in the music and the musicians," he said. "It is an honor to be here."

Grohl opened with "Times LIke These," then moved through "Big Me," "Friend of a Friend," "My Hero," "Skin and Bones," "Wheels," "Learn to Fly," "Ballad Of The Beaconsfield Miners" and "Everlong." He promised to then run outside and scream because he'd never played such a quiet show, but instead hung around and spoke with well-wishers.

Previously reported (7:30 a.m.) : It seems like Dave Grohl can't keep away from Nashville for too long these days. The Foo Fighters frontman and Nirvana drummer made a surprise appearance at the Bluebird Cafe Wednesday night, taking the stage for a solo acoustic set as video cameras rolled.

Grohl played a number of Foos favorites, including "Everlong," "Learn to Fly" and "Big Me," according to fan Ellen Hamilton, who was at the Bluebird and had no idea that Grohl would be there. She later got a hug and a photo with the musician.

"I almost had a heart attack," she told the Tennessean on Twitter. "It was an amazing surprise!"

No word on why Grohl was performing and filming in town, but Wednesday marked his second secret show of the week. He and the Foo Fighters performed in his hometown of Washington, D.C. on Monday. He's now a successful documentary filmmaker, having produced and directed the popular "Sound City" in 2013.