It's the dream that many rock musicians have but for Chris Shiflett it became a reality when Dave Grohl, ex-Nirvana drummer turned Foo Fighters frontman, phoned to make him an offer he couldn't refuse. By Robyn McLean.

YOU know you're a rock star when you can afford to fly a chef halfway around the world to roast you a turkey. And that is the way the Foo Fighters celebrated Thanksgiving in Wellington yesterday. It's poultry and pumpkin pie at its priciest, but the all-American band didn't want to pass on tradition just because they were away from home.

So fans flocking to tonight's sold-out concert can expect to see a well-fed lot, thanks to a chef friend of frontman Dave Grohl.

"He cooked us a Thanksgiving meal when we were in London one year," says guitarist Chris Shiflett. "He makes this fabulous meal, it's one of the perks".

The Foo Fighters have achieved what many bands struggle to. Longevity.

Okay, so today's lineup is different from the one offered on their debut, but their fan base keeps growing. Especially this year, when Foo Fighters are one of the biggest earning bands on the world tour circuit.

It helps that Grohl originally drummed for Nirvana, joining for their second album Nevermind in 1991, which sold millions, took the music world by storm and lead to an explosion in the popularity of grunge music. After Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain killed himself in 1994, Grohl thought he would never play again but was encouraged by friends to continue. Ten years later he's been behind numerous hit singles and awards, including two Grammys.

Their latest album, In Your Honour, a double CD containing a lighter, more acoustic offering on one CD, and a harder-edged sound on the other, rocked critics in the right way, with many struggling to find enough superlatives to squeeze into their reviews.

Shiflett admits they've been blown away by the response, especially from down-under.

So to return the favour, they are back to rock us in person.

A keen surfer, Shiflett says he plans to go in search of good breaks between their Auckland and Wellington gigs.

Last time the band played in Auckland, Shiflett and a lighting technician drove to Raglan to surf each morning and he's prepared to go the distance this time around too.

"I've just bought three Al Merrick's (designer surfboards). You can probably hear them flapping away on the roof of the car," he says, driving along a Los Angeles motorway.

In a classic case of "it's not what you know but who you know", Shiflett landed a spot in one of the world's best rock bands thanks to a friend who knew someone in the band's legal team.

After hearing guitarist Franz Stahl was leaving, he called his friend to see if he could somehow organise for him to be on the audition list. A couple of months later Shiflett got a call many musicians could only dream of -- the Foo Fighters wanted him to audition. The first audition went well enough for him to get through to the second round. A week later he was on tour with them.

It was a bizarre experience, he admits, going from fan to band member.

"Yeah, I was a big Foo Fighters fan before. I saw them a couple of times (after) the first album tour.

"It was just like jumping into the fire," he says of joining the band. "But it was a cool way to do it, too."

He joined the band after the release of 1999's There is Nothing to Lose -- an album which won a Grammy award for best rock album.

"The first concert was really nerve wrecking. The first one was a secret show at the Troubadour in LA, a teeny club. All my friends came down, my brothers and they were all standing in front of me. My brother made me the most nervous because every time I blew it, I could see him chuckle and point at me."

The band's next album, One by One, was released in 2002 after what the band called "a difficult birth". Grohl had taken time out from the recording process to tour and record with stoner rockers Queens of the Stone Age before regrouping with the others and nailing the rest of the album.

Six years later Shiflett is still with the Foos and loving every minute. Some say it is the best line-up to date.

"It's the only line-up I've ever known. I hope everyone else feels that way too, things are as good as they could be at the moment, that's for sure," he says.

"Any band has its ups and downs but it is a lot easier to be in a successful band, there are a lot less things to argue about."

To keep things fresh, the band members all play in side projects as well: Grohl in Probot, Nate Mendel in Fire Theft, Taylor Hawkins in Coattail Riders and Shiflett in Jackson United.

Despite the Foo Fighters being praised by critics and fans, Shiftlett says he still manages to maintain a normal life outside the band and is seldom recognised on the street.

"The dynamic of our band is interesting. I've never felt under the microscope at all. People don't recognise me when I walk down the street, so there is none of those drawbacks of fame because I'm not, like, famous. It's great because there is all of the up-side and none of the downside."

* The Foo Fighters with The D4 play Wellington's Events Centre tonight