Fighting the Foo In Cincinnati
My tenth Foo Fighters show in 30 years took place almost in the exact same spot as I saw them the first time - just in a wildly different, and much larger, venue. Caddy’s garage is long gone as are the opportunities to see Foo Fighters with 500 people for $12.
Dave Grohl and his motley assortment of long time musical cohorts smashed into Great American Ballpark last week like an out of control meteor bringing with it the last remaining vestiges of arena/stadium rock and roll. All of the expected Foo Fighters tropes were present and accounted for. Loud, crunchy guitars. Screaming vocals. Crowd wide sing alongs. Laughter and some tears.
The set list pulled from the Foos entire catalogue featuring moments as Dave put it for “OGs, newbies, and everyone”. It’s a hit parade of rock tunes reaching back through time to the debut album “This is a Call” to the latest “Rescued” “Under You” “The Teacher”. In between the hits, solos and scream alongs the band played tributes to classic rock with hat tips to Metallica, Van Halen, the Ramones and AC⚡️DC. And of course one of my favorites, “Monkey Wrench”
The band were tight, the songs were excellent, and the vibes were good. I should mention the elephant in the room the absence of the late Taylor Hawkins. This was my first time seeing the band without Taylor and his absence was obvious. Josh Freese is an incredible drummer but he plays like he's still in Nine Inch Nails. It gave the songs a heavier sound and vibe and culminated with an excellent cover of March of the Pigs the aforementioned NIN. But what was missing was the groove and spontaneity Taylor brought to the proceedings. Gone were those mini moments between songs where Dave and Taylor would share a joke, smile, laugh or beer. Gone also were Taylors vocals and his solo moment were Dave would play drums and Taylor would sing Queen. It added a heaviness to the proceedings that maybe only long time fans noticed but it made the event bittersweet.
Overall though it was a rock show for the ages. Mammoth opened and Wolf Van Halen demonstrated why he is the best guitar player in the business. The Pretenders stole the show with a punk heavy set that even entirely dispensed with Brass in Pocket.
Rock and Roll is very much alive. I wish Taylor Hawkins still was.
