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.
I had to use some clever maneuvering to get on the floor at Wrigley (only about half of our crew had floor tickets), but halfway through Cheap Trick’s opening show, I ended up about 12 rows out. It was go-time. The Foo Fighters show started with the entire stage covered with a black and red curtain. I’m typically not one for on-stage gimmicks, but for some reason the curtain unveiling works for me. (Kid Rock executes it as good as anyone…but this was epic also) From behind the massive curtain, Dave Grohl screamed “Are You READY!!??”, and the crowd passionately responded, giving me the first inkling of just how incredibly loud this audience could be. The song Everlong began, and right as the lyrics hit, the monstrosity of a curtain vanished, and all 21,000 of us went nuts in sheer pandemonium. After singing Everlong at the top of my lungs for the first two verses, I finally came off of the high enough to glance backwards, and then do a slow turn to take in the magnitude of this show. The stage was in the center of the outfield, facing home plate, so by turning around I was able to see the grand stand and audience in all its glory. This moment was really astounding to me – the scope of this show was just unbelievable.
Amidst the incredible opening to this show (video here), one thing that was immediately apparent was that Grohl had not fully recovered from a broken leg. He was sitting center stage in a massive throne, his injured leg in a boot propped up to one side. At first, I was bummed, for fear that he wouldn’t be able to “perform”, but that was clearly a ridiculous fear. This show was a true testament to what an incredible performer Grohl is – it did not suffer at all, and in fact, had really just felt more unique given his mobility limitations. He absolutely rocked that throne, and it was awesome. In the middle of Everlong, the throne drove itself out along the center pier of the stage. I thought to myself “Of course it moves. Of course it does.”
After Everlong, the band rolled into Monkey Wrench, and then Learn to Fly. The fact that I’m glossing over those songs should tell you how incredible this show was. As Learn to Fly closed, Rick Nielsen walked on stage, which triggered my excitement response, because I knew that he played on the song Something from Nothing. This is a song that Dave Grohl made about Chicago and how it made him want to play music, and I got to hear it played in the heart of Wrigleyville, at a sell out show at Wrigley Field. What an amazing opportunity. The song grew perfectly, with the slow first verse and chorus perfectly building the crowd’s excitement…until Nielsen’s part picked up, and Grohl hit the part where he bellows out “Looking for a dime but found a quarter!!” As Dave Grohl screamed through the last verse, with the band echoing his passion, I realized that this was the pinnacle of the show for me. Groh’s intense screams, the thick bass line, the killer riff of that song, the guitar solo ending, and the ecstatic pulse of the crowd and intense light show, all hit me at once. It was the point in which it all became worth it – the hundreds of dollars, the 250 miles each way, the sacrifice of a weekend away from my family, and the year of waiting. This was the moment where I realized that this show lived up to EVERY expectation I put on it.
“I’M SOMETHING. FROM NOTHING. YOU ARE MY FUSE. I’M SOMETHING. FROM NOTHING. YOU ARE MY FUSE.”
The show’s momentum continued to build, rolling right into The Pretender. This is one of my favorite Foo Fighter album songs, but oh man was it great at this show (video here). It was really one of the songs that made the show unique, so if you only hit one of the YouTube links, make it be that last one. Halfway through Pretender, Dave Grohl’s throne rolled out, and the band found space between the second and third verses to jam. Grohl was having a blast, and smiled as he said “This is where it starts to kick in, right?” After a killer solo, he leaned up to the mic and said “Guess what I like? Here’s what I like, baby. I like to dance a little bit. I like to do a little boogey!” The band rolled into an old school rock and roll jam straight from Beale Street, and then Grohl stood up and danced on one leg, smiling like a kid in a candy store. After he was back in his throne, the band finished the song, and Grohl sat speechless with a contemplative look on his face. He was completely taken aback by the magnitude of the moment.
After he processed for a minute, with a big smile on his face, he leaned up, took a deep breath, and said “Ladies and Gentlemen, the Foo Fighters are playing Wrigley Field”. He went on to talk about how much he loves Chicago, and has been playing there since the Nirvana days. He also went in depth about his broken leg, and how his “bad ass roadie crew” had to build him this throne last minute. The monologue ended by Grohl saying that this was the first time that the Foo Fighters have ever sold out a stadium in America. He talked for nearly 10 minutes, in the rain, and it was interesting, gracious, and authentic. I was totally engrossed, and no part of me ever thought that I was bored, or that I wanted them to get on with it. I was standing there, in the rain, so thankful to be part of the show.
After a few more spectacular songs (Walk stood out in this portion of the show), they did a really cool band intro set, where they just screwed around playing goofy songs, announcing each other’s names, and talking about how amazing the band Yes is). This was followed by another really unique moment – Dave Grohl commented that the reason that they planned this show in Chicago on this date was because it was his cousin Tracy and his mom’s birthday. He brought them both out on stage and had a sold out audience sing them Happy Birthday.
The last third of the show was just as amazing as the first two. Songs like Cold Day in the Sun (which Taylor Hawkins sings), Times Like These, and White Limo were great. A surprising highlight for me: the song Breakout. I completely forgot that song even existed, but with the light show behind it, and the crowd participation, it was really spectacular live.
Alas, the end was approaching. After Breakout, they played This Is A Call, and when that song closed, they lit Grohl with the solo spotlight as he strummed his guitar. He had to brush tears away from his eyes as Wrigley Field went absolutely nuts. He thanked the crowd again, for the millionth time, and then asked for their help singing the final song. They closed with Best of You, and in all honesty, Grohl’s vocals sounded completely spent, but it did not matter at all. The crowd’s voices nearly overshadowed his, and the song lasted over 9 minutes as they stretched out the Woah’s in order to stay in the moment as long as they possibly could. As the song finished, someone brought Dave his crutches, and the band came out front to soak it up and take a bow.
I wish I had better words to describe why this show was fantastic. The Foo Fighters somehow have the ability to bring an insane amount of intensity and power to their show, while also seeming very approachable. There were times during this show that I felt part of 40,000+, and times when I felt like I was in a small club with 200 people. It was an awesome display of a band’s ability to engage an audience, and turn music into something that you can’t just see or hear, but that you experience.
Not only was the show exceptional, but I am a huge Dave Grohl fan for so many reasons, and this show further solidified the act that he’s an incredibly talented and genuine musician. Of all the musicians I follow, I can’t think of one I respect more, or I’d rather get a beer with. (So Dave, if you’re reading, I will fly anywhere in the country for 5 minutes and a single beer. @musicpillblog 🙂
This is just one of those shows that I will never forget. My first experience with a legendary band, at unique and legendary venue, on a perfect night with 8 or 9 close friends.
Bucket List: Check.