If there was any phrase to encompass the sold out Foo Fighters show Tuesday night, it would be the 20 times Dave Grohl said, “We got a lot of fuckin’ songs.” And that they did. Thank you, Dave, truly.
The three-hour long show was entertaining to say the least. Typical of any stadium setting show, the stage had lots of cool functions. The drum platform would raise up in the air (during which the drummer impressively sang a song himself), and the framing could move up and down.
There were also, of course, lots of crazy lights and screens for video. The main video screen was in the shape of a diamond, and could move around with the stage framing. It was an impressive set up — who knew the Kohl Center could pull that off?
The band members were super fired up, too. Grohl told the crowd that they had had a week off prior, so they were ready to throw down. It did start off a little shaky, perhaps like they were out of breath, but the band quickly got into their groove.
Soon there were lots of guitar solos, and lots of screaming (from both Grohl and the crowd), not to mention the sweat and hair flying around. Grohl said, “Guess what? The Foo Fighters came here to play rock and roll tonight. Do you like rock and roll?”
The crowd lost it.
Then running back and forth across the stage, he said “If I shake my ass, will you shake your ass with me?” to which he proceeded to shake it to the crowd.
The crowd lost it. Again.
There was also no shortage of “fucks” that he threw in every time he spoke. He said, “How ‘bout we just keep fuckin’ playing until we just can’t do it anymore. They usually give us a curfew but, (pause) fuck that shit.”
If the crowd had anything left, you could say they lost it.
But underneath all the fun, there seemed to be this almost tangible sense of nostalgia — it was heavy in the air. For reasons why it felt different than any other show, I can’t say, but hearing songs in person that you grew up listening to made it something special. They played favorites like, “My Hero,” “The Pretender,” “Learning to Fly, “Walk” and much more.
Hours went by before anyone realized it, and soon they were playing their farewell song, “Best of You,” and leaving the stage. Some audience members trickled out, but most stayed. After standing around for a few minutes, Grohl’s face suddenly flashed onto the big screen, tinged with green light.
Jokingly, he looked at the crowd angrily, like, why aren’t you cheering louder? Which, of course, made everyone simultaneously combust (figuratively, duh). He’d keep flashing fingers for how many encore songs they should play, eventually landing on four.
In all, the show was entertaining, hilarious and nostalgic. The talent of every band member was obvious, and the energy that they put forth was a true testament to their long lasting popularity. Legends, I’d say!
