“I hope you guys are ready,” growled Social Distortion’s Mike Ness, “Because the Foo Fighters are going to play for three fucking hours.”
While certainly double the length of most standard sets, considering that the Foo Fighters now have seven studio albums and sixteen years under their belts, three hours seemed an appropriate length of time. Furthermore, Dave Grohl, who seemed extra ramped up, ran from one side of the stage to the other before shouting victoriously that this was “the first time I’ve sold out the big ass arena in my hometown.” He then proceeded to fill those three hours living out his every rock and roll fantasy with the gusto of a teenager and the stage presence of a seasoned professional. It was enough to bring all of the inner-teenagers of the crowd to their feet.
These rock and roll fantasies went above and beyond colorful stage lighting and Grohl lifting his arms to thunderous applause and spirited sing-a-longs. The Foos’ newest album Wasting Light has the sort of riffs that put the power into power pop and since those songs made up a good third of the set, the band expanded their bag of tricks accordingly. Grohl had an additional (much smaller) stage in the middle of the floor and an open corridor between the two, which he used to run between the stages and immerse himself amongst the rabid crowd who grasped at his electric guitar. Grohl even ran to that second stage in the middle of “Stacked Actors” to engage in a guitar battle with guitarist Chris Shiflett as they both channeled their inner Eddie Van Halens and Ted Nugents trying to outdo the other.
As such, the band’s collection of radio-friendly songs which normally clock in at three minutes quadrupled in length thanks to soloing that ranged from impressive to over-the-top and somewhat masturbatory. After the first hour, this became somewhat exhausting. Then they played “Monkey Wrench”, and that was the song during which their extended arena jam played the biggest dividends. Grohl announced that he wasn’t going to “scream his balls off” but instead turned down the lights, allowing the crowd’s cell phones and lighters to illuminate the arena as they played a softer, yet wildly psychedelic, instrumental. It sounded like a piece that could have been written by former tourmates Fucked Up and it served as a reminder that these guys are on this huge stage because they really want to be there. Then Grohl actually did scream the “one last thing before I quit” line that everyone knew and the show never dipped again.
The show really spoke to why so many people love this band. They don’t pull out all the stops during their stage show because they believe that they’re entitled to such things (Grohl actually spoke to his confusion when he won a Grammy for a song that he’d recorded in a basement in Alexandria). The Foo Fighters do these grandiose moves because they are inherently awesome. Broadcasting video (in night vision) of him goofing off backstage with his Cheshire-cat grinning drummer, Taylor Hawkins after the first set: awesome. Bringing Bob Mould onstage to play a Tom Petty cover: awesome. Grohm getting the Verizon Center to do the wave using only his face: awesome.
“Believe me,” he said after the wave had gone through the stadium, “I’m proud.”
Even while realizing all of his rock star fantasies, Grohl is surprisingly relatable. He was more than willing to take a piss at his bandmates (he joked that Shiflett is the lead guitarist for the Foo Fighters — on three whole songs), at the crowd (he changed the opening words to “Breakout” to “one day I’m going to chase your mid-forties Honda Odyssey driving ass down”), and even the Springfield Mall (“What happened! It looks like 28 Days Later!”). He also admitted that he used to get nervous before such shows but that now, he doesn’t, because “you’re all Foo Fighters people, like me, so it’s okay.”
When all of the Foo Fighters people in the crowd sang along to acoustic deep cut “Wheels” during the encore, Grohl promised that if we were loud enough, that he’d come back and do a four-hour set at the 9:30 Club. We’re holding you to that promise, Dave. Not many bands can actually leave an audience wanting more after a three-hour set, but the Foo Fighters did just that. So, come back, Foos. Come to the 9:30 Club and blow our minds for four hours. But, in keeping with your closing song, “Everlong,” you’ve gotta promise not to stop when we say when.
