Nearly 20,000 people crammed into the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit last night for one of the most spectacular shows I have ever seen. These kind of shows don't come around all the time.
Tahni and I surprised Connor for his 16th birthday by presenting him (and me) with Foo Fighters tickets on Friday night. So yesterday, after a jam packed day of one of the most “full” Fusions ever at Westwinds (live painting, graphic design, film making, dance, music, and a discussion of “how to interpret art”), Connor and I along with Dave McDonald and Davey Buchanan headed to have our faces rocked off.
We arrived quite a bit early in order to “try” and get close to the stage.
Then, the heavens parted and the angels descended and our path was lit directly to the front of the stage. We found a spot against the railing in the corner of the main stage and the catwalk. I can’t believe how stinking close we were!
From the moment Dave Grohl stepped onstage with the rest of the Foo clan—Trini Lopez Gibson in hand—till the Foo finished rocking 2+ hours later, we screamed our heads off, jumped, moshed, elbowed, sang, danced, laughed, and celebrated the music of one the greatest rock bands in history.
The middle set included an acoustic breakdown from a second stage that descended in the middle of the Arena complete with percussion, a baby grand (which—by the way—Grohl used as a 3rd stage at one point), a cello, B3, and violin. Long time Foo friend and former Nirvana road guitarist Pat Smear was a Foo Fighter for the evening as well.
Drummer Taylor Hawkins is a machine. He did not let up for an instant in the 2+ hours that included a drum solo that didn’t lose or gain even 1 BPM. Unsung hero Nate Mendel held down the bottom end melding rock god power and the finesse of a gentleman. Chris Shiflett—guitarist extraordinaire—did what he does best . . . never showboating and always allowing the Foo to shine as a team.
At the end of the show, exhausted from the physical and emotional stretching, Connor and I were handed the Foo’s setlist that was taped to the floor behind the monitors. A perfect ending to a perfect father-son rock-fest.
Do yourself a favor. Find the closest venue to you that is hosting Foo and buy a ticket. Period.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Foo and Far Between
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2 comments:
I sleep better at night knowing they're out there fighting foo.
From one Foo fanatic to another – rock on!! Saw them last week at Madison Square Garden in NYC. I was so close I almost caught Dave’s gum! Last fall in Atlantic City was even closer and never thought it would have happened again. I’m glad not everyone in the world recognizes Grohl and Co. as the best band of all time – more room for me. Next – onto Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado.
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