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What we learned watching Foo Fighters live
Legendary rock band Foo Fighters return to the UK this month.
The countdown is on. Not long to go until the Foo Fighters return to UK shores for 3 sold out shows this summer.
In less than two weeks, Dave Grohl and co. will be taking to Manchester’s Etihad Stadium and London’s Olympic Stadium as part of their Concrete & Gold World Tour.
We went to their third European date in Gothenburg, Sweden last week. Last time the band where here, in 2015, Dave fell from the stage during Monkey Wrench (the second song of the set), breaking his leg, which led to an hour of uncertainty, followed by the band returning to play an incredible set – with Dave sat down and on crutches.
Unfortunately, their return was short-lived, and the band were forced to cancel and reschedule the rest of the tour – including dates in London and a Glastonbury headline slot.
The gang eventually returned later that year for the aptly named Broken Leg Tour which saw Dave perform on a Game Of Thrones-esque guitar throne for dates across the US and during rescheduled UK dates in Milton Keynes. They also returned to headline Glastonbury in 2017.
Their latest tour celebrates the band’s ninth studio album Concrete and Gold which was released in September 2017, and features singles The Line, Run and The Sky Is A Neighbourhood – the latter two of which have music videos directed by Grohl.
Here’s what we learned about the upcoming UK dates from the first few nights of 2018’s Euro tour.
Dave Grohl is a super-human
Following his aforementioned fall from stage three years ago, Dave managed to come back with the help of Dr. Johan Sampson (who held his leg in place for most of the Ullevi show in 2015) and performed a full set in which he dedicated My Hero to the doc. This year’s show marks the bands return to Gothenburg, to the very same arena. During a live stream of 2018’s Rock Am Ring last weekend, the frontman was suffering from unfortunate throat issues, and fans were a little worried the enigmatic front-man might not be up to performing three hours of raucous rock and roll in Sweden two days later. Yet, fans needn’t have stressed – Dave is sounding better than ever, with Dr. Johan watching from the wings, with the Foos once again dedicating My Hero to him.
The band definitely have a sense of humour
If their music videos are anything to go by, fans have been laughing along with the Foo Fighters since the release of the Big Me video in 1995, and things are no different at the 2018 live shows. From lead guitarist Chris telling the crowd about the Gothenburg laundromat giving his clothes away to an Australian guy named Ted, to Dave hiring a stunt double to run on stage first, fall off onto a crash mat, before the real deal appeared to thunderous applause – it’s safe to say the band still have an incredible sense of humour.
The rockers continue to be full of surprises
For a band who’ve been together for over two decades they are still keeping fans on their toes. During the obligatory introductions, keyboardist Rami Jaffee plays John Lennon’s Imagine, which leads to a gleeful Dave to sing an impromptu version of Van Halen’s Jump over the top. If that’s not a rock n’ roll mashup, we don’t know what is.
Two drummers – Two Singers
Anyone who’s been lucky enough to see the guys in recent years know it’s no secret that the Hawk can sing – regularly performing Foo hits Cold Day In The Sun and Sunday Rain, as well as various The Faces, Queen and Zeppelin covers. Taylor Hawkins’ mean rendition of Foos favourite, Queen’s Under Pressure, with a side of Grohl on drums, led to (for the first time ever) the intro bars of Smells Like Teen Spirit. That’s right… Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, playing one of Nirvana’s biggest tunes… at a Foo Fighters show – what a tease!
Fans are always guaranteed a good sing-a-long
No matter how often you see them, the setlist is varied, offering at least one track from all nine studio albums. New and old fans alike are guaranteed a good sing-along and a full cardio work-out. Breakout (“for the old school fans” – DG), Learn To Fly, The Pretender, Best Of You and Times Like These continue to dominate the set, along with Run, a sing-a-long from their latest record. All My Life, My Hero and Monkey Wrench are also a great chance for crowds to test out their lung capacity and dancing shoes.
Photo by Rebecca Clark
The band are continuing around Europe for a few more shows, including festival dates in Florence, The Netherlands and Paris before hitting Manchester and two final nights in London at the end of next week. Are you ready?!
Tickets for Foo Fighters three UK dates are already sold-out. Subscribe to the band’s Ticket Alerts to be one of the first to know should any more go on sale, and next time they are in town. To subscribe head to Ticketmaster.co.uk.
