Foo Fighters come back home to Southern California
Foo Fighters performing at The Forum in Inglewood on Thursday Oct. 13. (Cassie Rossel)
Foo Fighters blew the roof off The Forum in Inglewood with their nearly three hour performance on Oct. 13, almost two weeks ago.
Due to the heavy rocking out that occurs at all Foo Fighters shows, many fans left The Forum with a constant ringing in their ears and, most likely, a loss of voice from the continuous screaming.
Aside from those obvious indications of a great show, there was not one fan who left without the most unmistakable sign of satisfaction, a giant smile, filling each Foo lover’s face from ear to ear.
The energy in the room was unlike any other I’ve experienced before, and that was before Foo Fighters even started performing. The excitement only escalated as the time grew nearer for the headliners to take the stage.
Finally, after the second of two opening acts, Cage the Elephant, finished their set, the moment everyone had been waiting for had finally arrived. The lights went out, and there was not one person in the room who wasn’t screaming out of excitement as they awaited the first guitar riffs and drumbeats of the band they so devotedly came to experience.
The Foo Fighters opened up the night with two songs off their newest album, “Bridge Burning” and “Rope,” along with two others that everyone must have known the words to, “The Pretender,” and “My Hero.”
After tearing through the first four songs, front-man Dave Grohl revealed the evident fact that the Foos weren’t like all the other bands who play a typical two hour show, “No no no,” he said, “Who wants to get to f***ing three [hours] tonight!”
The crowd grew wild at Grohl’s remark, and just when I thought the energy level couldn’t possibly get any greater, I was proven wrong, so wrong.
As the night went on, the band continued to melt faces with perfect renditions of their best songs, including “Skin and Bones” and “Breakout,” along with some insane guitar and drum solos, courtesy of drummer Taylor Hawkins, lead guitarist Chris Shiflett, and of course, Grohl.
The Foos teased their audience by going off stage after “All My Life,” acting like the show was over, but it was far from it. The audience cheered, screamed, and chanted for a good ten or fifteen minutes, begging the band for an encore.
Adhering to his fan’s demands and the promise of a three hour set made earlier, Grohl showed up at the end of the lane extended from the stage and into the crowd with only his acoustic guitar. He performed a three song acoustic set of “Long Road to Ruin,” “Best of You,” and “Times Like These.”
The lights were not completely turned off, but dimmed so that Grohl could actually see the audience during his acoustic set, which provided a sense of closeness between him and the crowd.
No matter how much of a rock god he may be considered to be, the intimate acoustic session erased all superiority Grohl had while he was on the main stage. It made him seem like he was just one of us, but let us not forget that the key word is “seem,” and that I am not referring to the reality of his status as a music legend.
Midway through the acoustic version of “Times Like These,” the rest of the Foos joined in to finish the song in its studio recorded electric version. It was a smooth and well thought out transition into the final songs of the night.
After a cover of Tom Petty’s song, “Breakdown,” the Foo Fighters closed the show with an explosive performance of what is unquestionably their most popular song, “Everlong.”
Judging from the prolonged roaring of the crowd throughout the entire event, the first of two shows at The Forum was an obvious success for the Southern California rock band.
With many musical acts turning to computers for their live shows, what amazed me the most about the night was the Foo Fighters’ lack of computer use, and Grohl pridefully pointed this out, “This is probably one of the few shows you’re gonna see where people don’t use computers.”
It’s nice to know that at least some musicians, such as the Foo Fighters, are still devoted to playing actual instruments instead of giving in to the music industry’s encouraged use of computers in today’s popular music.
Well on their way to becoming music legends, there is no doubt in my mind that the Foo Fighters will soon be rightfully inducted into the prestigious Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but even if they don’t, it’s safe to say that we can always count on them to rock our faces off.
Opening Acts: Mariachi El Bronx and Cage the Elephant
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