o say that Foo Fighters are a great band is an understatement. To say that Foo Fighters are an incredible band is an understatement. To say that Foo Fighters are one of the greatest rock bands out there is still an understatement. They are the rock band of our generation.
The band took the stage for an extremely powerful show last Wednesday night at Shoreline Amphitheater. I had received seventh row tickets, so needless to say I was very excited to see this.
Foo Fighters have never been a theatrically heavy band. The first time I saw them was when I was fourteen. I liked them, but I wasn’t huge into them because I had just come down from listening to My Chemical Romance, Green Day, Panic! At The Disco; bands that had very theatrically heavy shows and concept records. Many years later, I still love those bands, but I have grown to appreciate this band so much more than I did before. They don’t need theatrics. Their musicianship guides the entire show, each member an integral part to the formula that is the band.
A curtain with the massive band logo hovers over the lower level. The lights go out, and the band start to warm up their instruments (loudly, with vocalist Dave Grohl screaming as loud as he possibly can). The palm-muted intro to “All My Life” begins. When the drop comes, the curtain falls, sending the crowd into a complete frenzy with the band. “Times Like These” follows. Even over the speaker system that caused my ears to ring for two days after the show, I swear that I can hear the crowd screaming the chorus all the way from the lawn.
It didn’t really matter what the band played either. Whether it was a fast, hard hitting song (“Monkey Wrench) a slower song (a slower rendition “Big Me”, with the stage lit only by the cell phone lights and lighters of 22,000 people), or a medley of songs that aren’t even theirs (various covers of tracks like “You Really Got Me”, “Another One Bites The Dust”, and “Under Pressure”), every song worked.
One particular moment in this show gave me chills, and it was when they played “Walk”. If you go see a Foo Fighters show, you will always remember when they play “Walk”. It’s the moment when you know that you are seeing something truly spectacular, surreal. You know, in that moment, that you mater. You know that someone out there really does give a shit about you. It’s almost spiritual, but in that moment, you truly feel that you are a part of something.
My final note: Dave Grohl played the entire show sitting down, due to having a broken leg. And he STILL got into to it as if he was running around on stage, fully recovered. If that isn’t rock n roll, then I really don’t fucking know what is.
This has been another Shameless Promotion.