Photo Credit: Matt Simpson
Lucky Foo Fighters fans enjoyed a nearly two hour performance from the powerhouse rock group last night at the Ed Sullivan Theater. Their album release party as frontman Dave Grohl came to call it was complete with his signature growl and jaw-dropping guitar and percussion interludes throughout their more than 20-song set.
Dressed like the Beatles first US performance on the “Ed Sullivan Show” back in 1964, the Foo Fighters came onstage clad in black suits, button down white shirts and a tie complete with black dress shoes. “Personally, I don’t know how the Beatles did it because these fuckin’ suits are so hot,” Grohl said midway through their show.
During the first 60 minutes, Foo Fighters powered through every track on their new album, Wasting Light, with little more than a “Thank you” and song title. First song, “Bridge Burning” kicked the night into high gear with fast-paced guitar licks and heavy hitting drum parts. The audience, extremely satisfied, rocked right along with the band. First single, “Rope” followed suit with a mean guitar introduction and dark bass beat throughout. Nearing the edge of the stage, Grohl showed off his guitar skills and penchant for head banging.
“Dear Rosemary” introduced their keyboardist for the first time and further demonstrated the band’s prowess onstage. With just the nod of his head during “White Limo,” Grohl motioned drummer Taylor Hawkins from twirling his drumsticks mid-song into a minute long instrumental jam.
Next track, “Arlandria” took off to a slow beginning with Grohl singing alone with light guitar. The almost ballad-like start was a welcomed change, but not for too long. After the first verse the music picked right back up. Segueing strongly from a soft whisper and little music accompaniment to his raspy yell and heart-pounding percussion, the song was an adequate indication of the band’s versatility.
The remainder of the new album tracks included ear-grabbing guitar riffs and memorable percussion interludes while the moving “These Days” and “I Should Have Known” showcased Foo Fighters’ more serious side. Although a more mature sound for the band, Grohl’s signature growl and impressive guitar riffs were not forgotten for too long.
As the first hour neared to a close and the last song on Wasting Light was played, fans were in for a special treat: another 60 minutes of Foo Fighters’ previous hits. And, together for the past 16 years, there were a slew of them.
“And that’s our new record,” Grohl said as he addressed the audience for the first time and the band took a bow. “Personally, I don’t know how the Beatles did it because these fuckin’ suits are so hot, especially when you’re playing something like this,” he said before the band segued into the fast paced “All My Life.”
Hit song, “Times Like These” followed as Grohl walked into the audience with guitar in hand. “Sing it if you know it,” he advised.
“Okay, this one goes out to David Letterman because he let us use his studio today,” Grohl said as he introduced “My Hero.” The energy in the room skyrocketed with an impressive musical interlude toward the end of the song.
“Thank you guys for coming tonight. This is kind of cool. This is like our record release party, you know the record came out today,” Grohl said before he introduced the band, saying that his keyboardist wasn’t sweating. “It’s so disgusting underneath this jacket right now. I feel like a wet snake,” he continued as one fan screamed, “Take it off!”
“No, that would ruin everything! It’s supposed to look perfect. This is my party,” he said. “We were trying to figure it out. Guys like us can’t really ever get dressed up. We either look like a stoner going to court or someone that’s too old going to prom.”
The remainder of their set included past hits and fan favorites including “Monkey Wrench,” “Best of You,” “Learn To Fly” and Hawkins’ taking over on vocals during “Cold Day In the Sun” as well as Grohl’s always entertaining onstage banter.
“Well tonight certainly was a lot of fun and it was a perfect way to start this whole new phase in our lives. It’s been a long time since we made a record. This is the biggest break we ever took between records,” Grohl said. “We’ve been around for a long time now, it’s been 16 years, and we have to thank all of you people here and there for sticking with us this whole time. We’ll be seeing you soon enough and we won’t be wearing these fucking monkey suits. I’ll actually be able to run around a little more.”
Foo Fighters ended their two-hour performance with the energetic “This Is a Call” before Grohl once again thanked the audience. “Thanks a lot for coming you guys that was a lot of fun. Thanks for letting us live out our little rock & roll fantasy.”
You can read my review on MTV’s Newsroom blog here. Be sure to watch the complete two hour performance posted above!