Foo Fighters

Books, comics, TV, music
1

Just got back from the Tabernacle. It’s a roughly 2500 seat venue, and the Foo Fighters were using it for a warmup show.

Holy shit, Dave Grohl can put on a show. They basically played 2 hours of their greatest hits, with about 3 or 4 songs off the new album. Their classics were there, and Dave worked the crowd like the consummate showman. Pat Smear was touring with them, and they had a cellist/violinist with them.

The Tabernacle’s acoustics suck nut, totally. I also despise general admission with a passion, but we got there early enough that we were wedged dead center at the sixth row or so.

One of the reasons I hate GA, in particular with floor ‘seats’ (standing room only), is that you have to deal with fucknuts around you. And jesus was I surrounded by fucknuts. We had about a half-dozen people trying to wedge into the front of the crowd with lame excuses. We had a fat guy in front of us that kept trying to turn the place into a mosh pit, and when not annoyingly leaning back into me he was busy waving his hands in the air trying to film it all on his cell phone.

That said, it was a hella intimate setting. They’ll probably be back in a few months at the Phillips Arena or Hifi Buys Amphitheater or some other stadium, but then you’re looking at 5x the people and 3x the distance from the stage (I was less than 20’ from the stage), and I don’t think it’ll compare to this show at all except maybe acoustically.

Here’s the thing about the Foo Fighters that I find interesting – they’re very popular, but no one’s favorite band. They never have #1 hits, and no one is ever all “Foo Fighters are the best band ever!” Everyone I know is more like “Yeah, I like their stuff” but very often not enough to buy an album.

But goddamned if they don’t write some catchy stuff, and no band today is better at the crescendo. I went to the show because I enjoy their stuff, but I left firmly thinking that they’re probably one of my favorite bands right now, right along with Tool and NIN.

Oh, opening act was Hifi Hand Grenades – nice guys, did a decent show, but sounded like Yet Another Punk Band.

2

Man, I’m jealous.

3

Of all the alternative/grunge stuff that I was into in the 90s, the only ones that still really work for me are Soundgarden and the Foo Fighters. Sadly, I support your hypothesis in that Soundgarden is my favorite of the two.

4

Balderdash, you poppinjay! The Colour and The Shape was one of the best rock albums of the 1990’s! Get out of my apple tree because their self titled major label debut was another!

I realize I make a lot of claims about the best rock records of the 1990’s.

Here they are, in no particular order;

Eight Arms to Hold You, Veruca Salt
Badmotorfinger, Soundgarden
Foo Fighters, Foo Fighters
The Colour and The Shape, Foo Fighters
Nevermind, Nirvana
The Bends, Radiohead
OK Computer, Radiohead
Core, Stone Temple Pilots
Purple, Stone Temple Pilots
Dirt, Alice in Chains
Angeldust, Faith No More

5

Dave Grohl is a rock and roll genius.

6

I remember going to see the Foo Fighters way back in like 97 or so in some tiny little rec centre out at UBC. The place was about the size of a broom closet and could reasonably hold about 100 people (there were probably about 500-600 present). Dave’s shoe accidentally came off as he kicked and it hit a guy next to me in the head. Good times.

7

Couple other tidbits:

  • the only major song they didn’t do was “This is a Call” (that I can think of)

  • they started ON TIME. Jesus, every time a band comes on stage vaguely on time I love them even more. I’m so goddamn sick of bands that will wait an hour or two before they can roll themselves out of their drunken stupors to play a show for their fans. The opener was off stage by 8:35, and the Foo Fighters were on stage by 9:05, and went for two hours.

  • I got clocked in the head by a guy body surfing from the back of the crowd. Damn did that piss me off, because I was like “What the hell is on my head?!” and I look up to see someone’s ass and thigh cruising over the crowd.

  • EVERYONE was filming and taking photographs with cameras and cell phones.

  • My ears are still ringing this morning.

  • Dave Grohl chews gum while he sings. Crazy.

  • I ALMOST got a guitar pick twice but was beat out just barely each time. GRRR.

Fantastic show. I love Tool as a band a lot more, but this was a much, much better live show with a much more enthusiastic band and crowd.

Now I have the Pumpkins on the 31st and Tori Amos next month and I think my touring season is over.

8

What the fuck is with the filmers? How can you pay $50 to spend the show fucking around with a camera instead of rocking out?

9

I’d say it’s because they showed up late to that scene. Foo Fighters didn’t come around until after Nirvana was gone, and Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots had been around for years. Hell, even other 2nd wave grunge bands like Bush and Silverchair showed up before they did.

I’m sure there are a large amount of people in their late teens/early 20’s who started getting into music around the time Longview and Monkey Wrench were all over the radio who would list Foo Fighters among their favorite bands.

10

I.Love.Veruca.Salt.

One of my favorite bands and certainly one of the best female bands I have ever heard.

The Foo Fighters are catchy and I enjoy their stuff, but I find their best songs are released on the radio and I get to hear them plenty. For me, a little Foo Fighters goes a long way. THey put on a great show, I will agree. If you ever have a chance, see them!

11

I’m not sure how people can associate the Foo Fighters with grunge. Yeah, there’s the Dave Grohl connection, but the Foo Fighters are pretty much essential punk pop. They write ridiculously catchy songs and don’t have much angst. They don’t have the faux-edginess that the mainline grunge bands have.

Shit, most of Dave’s lyrics make no fucking sense anyway. This is a call out to past resignations?

12

13

Anybody buy the new album? I’ve only heard a bit through Itunes and am not too impressed. I was a Color and the Shape fan, though.

14

I like the new album, little mellower than the older ones. But as with most new releases by my favorite bands, it usually takes a while for me to warm up to it – this is why shuffle mode on an iPod is great, it forces you to listen to stuff that you may normally block out entirely due to lack of familiarity.

I’m finding that a lot of Tori’s more recent stuff I really like, but I never gave a chance because on a whole I’d have a ‘meh’ feeling about, say, Scarlet’s Walk, then I’d hear songs off of it, in isolation, and go “Wow, that’s pretty good”.

15

Oh, and here was the setlist:

let it die
pretender
times like these
cheer up, boys
ill stick around
long road to ruin
breakout
learn to fly
the one
stacked actors
skin and bones
marigold
my hero
see you
everlong
monkeywrench
all my life
aurora
but, honestly
best of you

16

How the fuck did you not include Aenima?

17

Hmmmmm… best rock records of the 90s, eh?

Loveless, My Bloddy Valentine
Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, Pavement
Nowhere, Ride
Trompe Le Monde, Pixies
Check Your Head, Beastie Boys
Flood, They Might Be Giants,
Angel Dust, Faith No More
OK Computer, Radiohead
Dummy, Portishead
Shapes, Polvo
Crappin’ You Negative, The Grifters
Superfuzz Bigmuff, Mudhoney

18

Mmm. It’s always nice to see Ride get some love.
My list would be similar with a couple exceptions:
Emergency and I, Dismemberment Plan - buy the goddamn album. Right.Fucking.Now.

Different Class, Pulp - maybe more pop than rock. It’s hooks hook and it’s lyrics are sexy and clever (Common People.)

Viva Last Blues, Palace (or was it Palace Music?) - tied with I See A Darkness for being my favorite Will Oldham album. It’s a messy collage of rock/folk songs about sex, death and religion (sometimes all at once!)

edit: Because this is, apparently, a Foo Fighters thread. I don’t like The Color and The Shape. It has 5 or so AMAZING tracks (Everlong is spine tinglingly magnificent) and the rest of it is mediocre. Personally, I think you could distill the Foo Fighters down to a nice, thick, double album of singles and not miss out on anything.

19

Odd this came up as such. Shortly after watching the Foo’s acoustic show on HDNET (HIGHLY recommended), I thought how skilled and suave Dave is as a Rocker. Without going into detail, he has it all. He can skillfully play drums, guitar, vocals, write, and has great stage presence.

As much of a Nirvana fan as I am, the death of Kurt was one of the best things for Dave’s career and bringing his brilliance out. It’s a shame this is how it had to be.

20

I’ve seen FF twice this summer, once opening for the Police, and then as part of the KROQ LA Invasion, and while I’ve always kinda liked their stuff, I was surprised how much I like their performances. I think their records don’t quite capture the energy they put out live, which may be part of why they’re not bigger than they are.

Also, I’m digging the new album. “The Pretender” rocks.