In the last ten years, Foo Fighters have released four albums, sold thousands of copies, been streamed by millions, played the biggest events in the world; including Glastonbury this year, broken legs (literally) and have turned from icons into rock gods. It’s been close to a decade since the band have played at the increasingly prestigious O2 Arena in London, and they are back as part of the venue’s tenth birthday, to celebrate their new album ‘Concrete and Gold’ as the next stop on their world tour.
Recognising this as an occasion not just to commemorate their new album, but the monumental career they’ve had up to this moment, the Foos put on an extensive greatest hits set, with a trickling of songs from the latest album and a few covers to boot. After queuing to enter for an eternity, the mass sea of intoxicated dads, moshing teenagers and first concert couples, prove that even with a mainstream taste, they offer the kind of diehard passion that every band aspires to receive from an audience.
Dave Grohl is on perfect form as always, living up to his reputation as the nicest guy in rock music. Even without an over the top stage setup, Grohl is determined to put on the most entertaining show as possible, with just an electric guitar and decades of experience to help him.
Despite his gleaming smile, Dave “I never lose my voice motherfuckers" Grohl is still an animal behind the microphone, as he lights up the room with a semi solo rendition of ‘Times Likes These’ before he mercilessly shreds his way through the ending on guitar.
Whether it’s the euphoric ‘My Hero’, adrenaline racing ‘White Limo’, stadium sized singalong of ‘The Pretender’ or the impromptu ‘Tie Your Mother Down' cover; the crowd never stops screaming along and the Foos never seem to stop having fun onstage.
The musicianship between bassist Nate Mendel and Chris Shifflet on lead guitar is the most integral part to the Foo’s performance as they lead every song into mind-blowing extensions, that keep the band’s famed live shows so unique compared to on record, and highlights exactly how talented they are as performers. When he's not doing Freddie Mercury impressions, drummer Taylor Hawkins shows off his world class abilities behind the kit as he performs perfect fills on the likes of ‘Rope’.
Some of their new tracks beg the question of if they’ve lost touch with what made them ever stand out originally, but the raw power of ‘The Sky is The Neighbourhood' proves otherwise. Their clear inspiration from the experimental side of The Beatles shines through on ‘La De Da’ and on ‘Make It Right’ when they play it live for the first time ever.
Culminating a triumphant and incredibly impressive three hour long set with an appearance from none other than Rick Astley and the anthemic double whopper of 'Best of You' and ‘Everlong' to close, Foo Fighters make it clear that they are never going to shy away from giving their fans exactly what they want for as long as they physically can every time they are onstage. With an incredible legacy to live up to, they will keep going relentlessly for decades to come as one of the greatest live bands in rock.
