“And I wonder
When I sing along with you
If everything could ever feel this real forever
If anything could ever be this good againThe only thing I’ll ever ask of you
You’ve got to promise not to stop when I say when
She sang”Everlong – Foo Fighters
As nearly 20,000 people belted out this Foo Fighters classic, the sound was awesome. The stadium sang in unison and shivers traveled up my spine.
There was Dave Grohl. The legend. The hero. Guitar in hand, in the middle of the arena. Everyone was eating out of the palm of his hand. He was standing on a stage that appeared from nowhere. One second he was strolling down to runway that was built into the floor of Acer Arena, and next there was a stage being lowered from a concealed circle in the ceiling. Full drum-kit, piano and chairs included.
The whole band (plus extra guest Fooeys) were there to play some of the softer numbers that have appeared on the Fooeys recent albums. As they stood in the middle of the arena, a long way from the front of the main stage that I was at, he announced, “We’re not even half way!”
So it was that the Foo Fighters produced 2 and a half hours of pure rock perfection.
It was my 3rd Fooeys gig. The first was at the same arena 3 years earlier, then I saw their acoustic show in Washington DC, both of which rank up there as some of my favourite gigs, but Friday night they were pumping and the show had everything.
Dave is a performer and a showman. Some might say he’s a smart-arse, but he comes from the same school of entertaining as Jack Black. He’s crude, witty and self-depreciating. Best of all, he makes you laugh right before kicking into a kick-arse song or a mean guitar solo.
During the acoustic part of the show, Dave told the story of the Beaconsfield Miners and how he was stoked to find out they requested Foo Fighters when they were trapped. He did go on to mention that he had some beers with one of them (the only one that actually liked the Foo Fighters) and got totally plastered with him.
Unique (and very talented) female guitarist Kaki King was there as a support act, and she joined Dave on stage for a rendition of the instrumental ‘Ballad of the Beaconsfield Miners‘ that Dave promised he would include on the record. Like said, “A promise is a promise..”
“All my life I’ve been searching for something
Something never comes never leads to nothing
Nothing satisfies but I’m getting close
Closer to the prize at the end of the ropeAll night long I dream of the day
When it comes around then it’s taken away
Leaves me with the feeling that I feel the most
The feeling comes to life when I see your ghost”All My Life – Foo Fighters
They did a bit of a skit on camera after the final number before their encore. They were trying to make the crowd cheer for more songs. Dave would hold up one finger, then 2, then 3 to try and get the crowd into a frenzy for them to come back. Taylor (the drummer) then blew through his fingers raising them up to 4. They then came back out and played 5 more songs, finishing the night with ‘Best of You’.
Ultimately they really only played their big hits all night, but a couple of surprises, like ‘Marigold’ in the acoustic set and ‘Weenie Beenie’ and ‘Watershed’ were good additions to the set.
I think Dave was having a good time. He let out some ripper burps as he ‘chugged’ (aka sculled) a couple of beers on stage. There was much fanfare during songs, with extended solos and false endings. ‘This is a Call‘ went for about 10 minutes, which is impressive for a 4 minute song.
Overall. Fantastic night. I think I’ve satisfied my rock urge until the Sebastian Bach concert at the ANU bar at the end of the month!
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