Bouncing around the stage like an out-of-control electron, Dave Grohl had a hard time confining the Foo Fighters’ larger-than-life rock show to the tiny stage at Chicago’s Metro last Saturday night.

Before the end of the night, he would have to abandon the stage which seemed to continually shrink on him with each song. “Next time we’ll see you at the enormo-dome,” he joked late in the band’s set to the lucky 1,000 patrons that won tickets, bought scalped tickets or were one of the needles in the haystack who actually had the opportunity to purchase a ticket for a reasonable price.

In town for the second North American tour date behind the group’s exceptional new record One By One, the Foos commanded the stage and rewarded their die-hard fans with a blistering set that showed a renewed energy and vigor in old tracks and a passion for the new material.

There’s just something about that big-band-in-a-small-club atmosphere that sends everyone into a frenzy. As part of a promotional campaign, the Foos announced the Chicago date just one week before the actual show, a stunt they have brought to a few other select cities as they announce each concert “one by one” a week before the scheduled date.

Little “Fighters” camped outside the Metro ticket office with nothing more than hope on their side. Within one minute of their release, all the tickets sold out. Ticket brokers hoarded groups of tickets and charged desperate fans anywhere from $125-$200 per ticket. The scenario drew startling similarities to the Smashing Pumpkins’ final show, which also took place at the Metro and commanded a stunning $1,500 per ticket.

Shortly after 8:30, the lights went out and the band casually strode in the darkness to the Metro’s hallowed stage. Dressed in blue jeans and a red flannel shirt, Grohl picked up his transparent guitar and launched into “All My Life,” staying unusually relaxed at the microphone during the opening lyrics, but then whipping himself into an out-of-control spasm as the heavier portion of the song kicked in.

Screaming “Done/Done/And I’m on to the next one/Done/Done/And I’m on to the next,” Grohl’s lyrics collided with the enthusiastic crowd, which was singing right back into his face.

The “on to the next” formula proved to be very evident throughout the Foos’ 17-song set that started off with no pauses during the opening trio of “All My Life,” “Breakout” and an extended version of “My Hero.”

Shirtless drummer Taylor Hawkins was hidden behind his kit most of the night, since his drums weren’t on a podium. Bassist Nate Mendel stood his ground, and in classic form became lost inside his own little world for most of the evening, just rolling his head to the music. Former No Use For A Name guitarist Chris Shiflett has been the best fit for the long-since departed Pat Smear, who left the group shortly after the release of 1997’s The Colour and the Shape.

The rare, intimate gathering also gave Grohl a chance to speak his mind about what the Foos have gone through in the past year and to showcase his surprising aptitude for comedy that had many in the audience cracking up. Rumors that RCA had rejected an initial version of the album had become so rampant that Grohl took the opportunity at the Metro gig to set the record straight.

“So we recorded the album, and we didn’t like it. It was the first time the band had ever failed at anything,” Grohl explained. “We recorded this album in 12 days … well, except for the overdubs and vocals and that shit.”

Shifting from the overdue and detailed explanation of what kept the new record from the public for so long, Grohl spent the rest of the night splitting his role between rock star and aspiring comedian.

Of the new material, “Have It All” reverberated with the classic Foo dynamic that has always made their live shows so engaging, and “Times Like These” reflected on what Grohl described as an awakening, in which he realized how lucky he is to be able to do what he does.

The rapid-fire concert reached a screaming climax during a rousing rendition of “This Is A Call,” when Grohl dropped his guitar, grabbed the mic and found himself at the edge of the barricade as he screamed the final go-round of the chorus, as the fans surged and crowded the area where he was standing.

Closing the night with heartfelt thank-you to all the fans who went through so much to get tickets for the concert, Grohl and company launched into a sped-up version of “Everlong” that mirrored the jazzed-up version they played for David Letterman when the late-night legend returned to his first show after heart surgery.

And with a solid final performance, the band exited the stage one by one, Shiflett and Mendel trotting off, before Grohl waved goodbye and a drenched Hawkins made a polite English curtsy. The lights went up and the awestruck crowd was a mix of joy and malaise, cherishing their memories from the pulsing night of rock and knowing well that they may never get a chance to experience a Foo Fighters show in such an intimate venue again.