Three hour gig in your 50s (while still smoking darts)? Check. March of the Pigs? Pwoah, definite check. Big Balls performed by a so-Aussie-it-hurts drum tech? Check. Judith? Well, sorta...
Foo Fighters live are like a religious experience – not in the sense that they’re some holier than thou spiritual revelation, but more in the sense that they’re a time-honoured tradition that occupies a special place in all their devotee’s hearts.
Just speak to anyone leaving last night’s concert – most of whom had seen the Fooeys multiple times before despite some time between Melbourne drinks – and you get the sense that they’re everyone’s favourite or second favourite band. The first thing you notice at many of these kinda shows is you forget just how many hits these guys have – you forget just how many of their classic songs you can sing along to.
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But the more personalised experience comes in the connection Dave Grohl, Nate Mendel (bass guitar), Chris Shiflett and Pat Smear (guitars), Rami Jaffee (keyboards), and all of a sudden, Josh Freese (drums) have with the audience. They all genuinely love what they do with such an overt passion that you can’t help but stupidly grin at them all night.
Special mention here for the Melbourne crowd, which although probably a little flat (they always give us gigs on Monday nights because unlike Sydney, we’ll show up) was still passionate enough to become the first in Foo Fighters’ Freese history to develop our own chant for the new drummer – it went something along the lines of Freeeeeeeese. What were you expecting from the land of Big Balls? With a resume spanning A Perfect Circle, Devo and Nine Inch Nails, he was the technical standout of the night.
Another highlight was Nothing at All, dedicated to Taylor Hawkins, which was preceded by Grohl’s explanation that whenever he sees birds flying above his concerts, he thinks of Hawkins. Wouldn’t you know it, a giant flock of seagulls took to the skies as soon as Nothing at All began. Grohl noticed, pointed to his bandmates, but didn’t acknowledge it at the end of the song. That was one for them.
Another wonderful surprise was Ballad of the Beaconsfield Miners – an instrumental Grohl wrote for the famous miners who were big Foo Fighters fans. Just another sign – in case anyone needed it – of what a genuinely kind and inspirational figure this man is.
Finally, the hidden gem of the evening was The Sky Is a Neighborhood – that and Stacked Actors seriously rock out live.
The three hour length is an encapsulation of 23 years since their first demos (Grohl couldn’t get a timeline in his head but we had the luxury of Wikipedia). Foo Fighters’ concerts are a celebration of a band that, over the years, has embraced change without sacrificing the essence of what has made them a fixture in the rock music landscape. They’re still creating sick rock albums, their latest tackles new ground and at times, a shoegazy vibe with aplomb. Likewise, their concerts reflect a band that prioritises passion and substance over spectacle.
When you can start each night with All My Life and The Pretender, dish out the likes of Times Like These and My Hero in the middle, and finish with Best Of You and Everlong – what more could you want?
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