Foo Fighters, Rogers Arena, Oct. 25.
Nigel John Crowe, singer/songwriter with the band ByStarlight reviews the Foo Fighters gig.
JUST the other day, my band's producer and I were having a discussion about what it takes to make a true rock show.
No one seems to be putting in the effort to do it right these days. Where are all the lights? Where are the mobile stages and risers? But most essentially, where are the theatrics that really make a rock show, a show?
Apparently, we weren't the only ones asking these questions. And thankfully, all these issues were addressed in great detail at the Foo Fighter's concert at Rogers Arena.
Regrettably, I didn't make it in time to catch the opening act, Mariachi El Bronx, the mariachi side project from the band The Bronx. From what I heard from fellow concert-goers, they put on an extremely entertaining show.
I did arrive in time for Cage The Elephant's set. Playing in the position of direct support for a band as legendary as the Foo Fighters is no small task. Cage The Elephant stormed through any and all expectations one could put on a band thrust into this role.
The immediate catch of Cage The Elephant was clearly the singer. The sheer amount of energy he possessed was mind-boggling. There was not one minute of their performance that he wasn't running from one side of the stage to the other, screaming his guts out. His ability to connect with the crowd in a relaxed manner was impressive as well, considering that Cage The Elephant are still a relatively green band (compared to the Foo Fighters that is). A particularly entertaining moment in their set was when the singer requested that, "If for some reason I jump into the audience and get knocked unconscious or die... please pass my body around the crowd till the end of the show." Other high points included the crowd favourites "Ain't No Rest For The Wicked" and "In One Ear" off of their eponymous debut.
After about a half hour intermission, the lights dimmed and the stadium went quiet. Suddenly, roaring guitars and the equally primal voice of Foo Fighters' frontman Dave Grohl erupted from the dark stage along with an explosion of lights. Check. The band tore through the aggressive rockers "Bridge Burning" and "Rope" from their latest album before dipping into older crowd-pleasers from their extensive catalogue. A few songs into the set Grohl took a break from screaming to address the crowd. He began by welcoming everyone to the Foo Fighters rock 'n'roll concert, promising that they would play not one, not two, but close to three hours of songs from their expansive 16 year career. The crowd was not disappointed.
A few songs later, after a classically rock and roll guitar solo from Grohl, Foo Fighters' lead guitarist Chris Shiflett steps to the front of the stage to challenge Grohl's guitar-god prowess with a ripping solo of his own. A duel ensues, escalating 'til Grohl runs through a clearing in the audience to the other side of the stadium.
Here he takes his final and triumphant solo, all the while rising out of the crowd on a mobile stage. Double check.
The Foo Fighters covered all the direly missed elements of a rock show that our producer and I had been lamenting over. What was more interesting however, was when mid-set Dave Grohl addressed the audience in a speech about what a real rock show is to him.
Grohl charismatically explained to the audience that all you need is a few people on stage, making noise and playing their hearts out.
"To anyone out there who wants to play in a band..."
Grohl preached. "You don't need a computer to play music... All you need is one of these." At this he held his guitar out like a victorious warrior's sword to an explosion of cheers from the audience.
Grohl is a rock god. The pure excitement he is able to elicit from a stadium full of people, for three straight hours I might add, is absolutely awe inspiring.
What's truly brilliant however, is his ability to play a stadium like a stadium, but connect to each and every person in the audience like it's a small room.
This was my second Foo Fighters rock'n'roll concert experience, and honestly, I would never pass up the chance to see them again. But for all the lights, props, and crazy rock and roll theatrics they brought out, Dave Grohl is right. What you really take away from a Foo Fighter's show is that you have connected with a few people on stage who are giving you their all in the hopes that you will take that home with you.
By the way, they ended the set with "Everlong."
- Music by Nigel John Crowe and his band ByStarlight can be found at facebook.com/bystarlightband.
