Mark Shufelt attended the Foo Fighters concert at the Saddledome last night (October 27) and filed the following review:
I have always liked the Foo Fighters. However for reasons unbeknownst to me I have always held them on the periphery. I have never really denied their talent the depth of their discography and their general likability. However for me personally I think I have always subconsciously held the band akin to a buddy’s new girlfriend after he broke up with one that you really liked. I have always considered them a rebound for Grohl. I am one of the many who remember where I was when Kurt Cobain died. It took every shed of my asinine male bravado to not break down in tears. The importance of that band is as such that the palpability still resonates some 17 years later. An entity of such social cultural and musical importance is tough to get past. With Grohl being such an integral part of that journey has always impeded me in detaching him from Nirvana and fully committing to the Foo Fighters.
That is until I saw them live. Grohl commands a crowd in a manner that makes it difficult to believe that he ever sat hidden behind a drum kit. He is as good a front man as it gets. His trademark Grohl growl his hilarious banter his staunch devotion to the music and his love for the spotlight all make him a natural born performer. He himself alluded to as much in his repartee with the audience on Thursday night at the Saddledome. He confessed that after all these years of performing to monstrous crowds it now “feels weird to not feel weird on stage.” He continued to explain that he believes it to be a result of the fact that as he looks out into the crowd he simply sees “Foo Fighter people.” People of his own kind. People that if he weren’t on stage he would be partying right beside.
It’s not surprising given the Foo’s commercial success that the crowd as a whole was buying whatever it was that they were selling. The energy that Grohl puts into the show defies his 42 years and it carries over to the crowd. The most impressive aspect of the show was that despite playing two cover songs they never took the easy way out by covering a Nirvana track. The first cover was an incredibly powerful and spot-on version of Pink Floyd’s “In the Flesh” with Grohl mimicking the weighty David Gilmore guitar lick while Taylor Hawkins handled the Roger Waters vocals while savagely banging away on his drum kit. The second cover was an extremely refreshing change of pace with a deeply groovy version of Tom Petty’s “Breakdown.” The fact that no Nirvana tracks ever entered the setlist seemed like a statement that the Foo’s have their own undeniable identity very much capable of standing on their own.
Prior to the covers the band explosively opened with "Bridge Burning" from their latest album Wasting Light which set the emphatic tone for the night. They forged forward working their way through their deep discography maintaining the energy level at a fever pitch. The set list was generously distributed amongst all 16 years of the Foo’s musical journey. They meticulously worked the crowd into frenzy with songs from old to new and back again.
Collectively the band is tight. After 16 years of perfecting their craft they have developed a sound that has inexplicable soft undertones in the face of the omnipresent volatile intensity. Grohl and to some extent Hawkins have reached an irrefutable level of celebrity. But I couldn’t help but contemplate how fortunate the other members are. They clearly hold a very high level of importance in contributing to the cohesiveness of the collective but maintain a very high level of anonymity. They enjoy the notoriety and elation that comes with the vibe of performing arena rock in multiple cities but then could walk around amongst the public virtually unnoticed.
One of the major highlights of the show was the hypnotizing crowd favourite "Everlong." The band seemed well aware that it was a track that the crowd hungrily awaited and calculatingly saved it for last. Hawkins passionately hammered away 16th notes on his high hat while Grohl’s voice was unrelenting. Melodic where appropriate and passionately growly where appropriate. It was this song that attracted the biggest response from the crowd and had them out of their seats dancing and singing along. It was a fitting end to an overall great show.
Setlist:
"Bridge Burning"
"Rope"
"The Pretender"
"My Hero"
"Learn to Fly"
"White Limo"
"Arlandria"
"Breakout"
"Cold Day in the Sun"
"Stacked Actors"
"Walk"
"Monkey Wrench"
"Let It Die"
"These Days"
"This is a Call"
"In the Flesh?" (Pink Floyd Cover)
"All My Life"
Encore:
"Wheels"
"Best of You"
"Times Like These"
"Dear Rosemary"
"Breakdown" (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers cover)
"Everlong"
