Concert Review: Foo Fighters @ Wrigley

The Foo Fighters
Sonic Highway World Tour – Aug 29th, 2015
Wrigley Field – Chicago, IL

In 2014, The Foo Fighters released an HBO special entitled “Sonic Highway”. In the documentary, which Dave Grohl called a “love letter to the history of American music”, the Foo Fighters toured the country visiting eight music-laden cities, like Nashville, Austin, LA, New Orleans, and more. In each city, they wrote and recorded a song that paid homage to the history of music in that town, and the result was their latest album, also titled Sonic Highway. It was amazing experiment that not only paid tribute to music of all kinds, but also gave insight into how The Foo Fighters write songs from very real inspiration. The first episode of the documentary, and possibly my favorite episode, talks about Chicago, and the beginning of Dave Grohl’s interest in punk music. Chicago is the place where Dave went to visit his cousin Tracy as a teenager, and ended up seeing his first live show: Naked Raygun at the Cubby Bear. This episode of the documentary also resulted in the best song on the album – a killer track called Something from Nothing.

Shortly after the documentary and the album dropped, rumors started circulating about a Foo Fighters tour. In all my years of going to concerts, The Foo Fighters have always eluded me – so my antennas were up. The first show I saw announced was a one-off performance at Wrigley Field, across the street from The Cubby Bear. What an epic chance to catch The Foo Fighters for the first time live. On October 27, 2014, nearly a year before the actual show, tickets went on sale, and my crew was ready. We had 7 people logged on trying to get tickets, and fortunately enough, two of us got through (the tickets sold out in minutes). Finally, after 15 years of listening to their music, I was going to be able to see Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters live, and in one of my favorite places in all of the country – Wrigleyville. I could not wait for this experience.

Concert Review: 10 Years / Nonpoint

10 Years / Nonpoint
When The Sky Cracks Open Tour – Friday, July 17th, 2015
The Vogue – Indianapolis, IN

As my music tastes have matured, I have really started gravitating towards what I like to call mid-major bands. Taken from world of college athletics, my analogy alludes to bands that may not be as well known as some others, but have no trouble standing toe to toe with any of the powerhouses. Sure, I love catching bands like Muse, Avenged Sevenfold, Godsmack, and Machine Head in front of 10,000 fans. But for my money, a small venue show of a band like Clutch, Aranda, Shaman’s Harvest, Foxy Shazam, or Crobot can be equally as entertaining. There’s just something about these smaller bands that seems more personal, and easier to connect with.

This tour featured two great mid majors – 10 Years and Nonpoint have both been around for a decade, and are a great example of smaller bands that do absolutely everything right. I’ve been a fan of both of these bands for years – I remember my introduction to 10 Years in 2006 at a local festival, (which caused me to sing Wasteland for two months straight). I also remember my first Nonpoint show – a mud-soaked, sweat-drenched, nonstop mosh pit party on the Jager stage at Rock on the Range in 2010 that I will never forget. A rare chance to catch both of these bands at a great small venue 20 minutes from my house? SOLD!