The Foo Fighters are certainly a band that doesn’t require an introduction of any sorts. With nine studio albums and three live albums under their belts, American rock band formed by the GOD himself Dave Grohl secured their place in the rock hall of fame some years ago. This year marks the 25th anniversary of their debut self-titled album, but I managed to bag tickets for their London Olympic Stadium show on 23rd June 2018.
After Grohl took a dive off the stage in Sweden 2017, the remainder of their original Concrete and Gold tour had been postponed, meaning the majority of Europe and the UK were left without their Foo fix until the following year. Nevertheless, the delay didn’t taint my experience of their live show, if anything it made it an experience to never forget. Even if the venue was West Ham’s football ground, something my dad couldn’t seem to get over.
The venue itself was humming with excitement and by five in the afternoon there was already some drunk and disorderly going on. It was going to be a messy night. After cramming down a questionable burger plastered with plastic cheese, we were swept up by the crowd and streamlined through to the arena. The band themselves made it on stage before 9, which I was extremely grateful for, an earlier start makes for a longer set.
There was no doubt that the set list was very much a celebration of their most loved records, opening with their classic track ‘All My Life’ moving into an almost seamless transition of ‘Learn to Fly’ and ‘The Pretender’ before delving into the Concrete and Gold tracklist. The electric atmosphere seemed to vibrate all around as plastic cups of beer were hurled through the air and Grohl whipped his hair around in pure rockstar fashion, which amplified the audience’s engagement and enjoyment ten fold.
Their music as a band definitely aided my interest and intrigue with the music scene, so I was ecstatic when Grohl engaged with the 80,000 fans as if we were his lifelong friends, slotting in anecdotes between each song. Not only did they perform their own songs but went the extra mile and blessed us with their own renditions of Alice Coopers ‘Under My Wheels’, Queen’s ‘Under Pressure’, and the Ramones ‘Blitzkrieg Bop’. Not to be dramatic but being present and in the standing pit for these covers was the closest thing to euphoria I had ever experienced.
Although my tube journey home was cramped and I was covered head to toe in beer it was one of the best live music experiences ever, I had never felt post-gig adrenaline so acutely. My ears were ringing for days after but it was totally worth it, I can go to my grave knowing I’ve seen Grohl covering Under Pressure and that’s all that really matters.
