THE FOO FIGHTERS ATTACK
Thunderous rock show at Bluesfest
The Foo Fighters have a response for the pundits who keep saying rock is in danger of extinction, sure to be taken over by country music or forced to the back burner by hiphop and R&B.
The Foos’ stance on the issue was obvious on Tuesday as the band demonstrated its vitality with a loud and thrilling knockout punch of a rock concert in front of a soldout crowd at RBC Ottawa Bluesfest.
“Hey, I know we’re at a blues fest right now,” hollered singer-guitarist Dave Grohl, who was dripping with sweat by the second song, “but I came here to play some rock ‘n’ roll. You want some rock ‘n’ roll?”
The crowd roared its approval, and off he went with his bandmates, careening through a marathon show that bristled with intensity at every turn. The Grammy-winning rockers blasted out of the gates going full-tilt on All My Life, hitting top gear in a fraction of a second and barely letting up on the gas, except to banter with fans and introduce his bandmates.
Blowing a kiss to fans, the 49-year-old Grohl promised to play at least one song from each of their nine albums. He was clearly having a great time dashing across the stage and screaming into the microphone, possibly even more so than the fans packed onto the LeBreton Flats plaza who were pumping their fists and singing along.
The pace was intense through Learn To Fly and The Pretender, two of the Foos’ most popular and radio-friendly singles, and they kept it up for The Sky is a Neighbourhood, one of the tracks from the latest album, Concrete and Gold.
The barrage of melodic hard rock was interrupted for some of the obligatory rituals of a rock concert, including solos by each band member. In one interesting aside,
drummer Taylor Hawkins referred to his time touring the world with Ottawa native Alanis Morissette. That’s when he first met Grohl, he said, giving props to the city of Ottawa and Alanis for the opportunity that led to his long career with the Foos.
The concert also featured a wicked display of guitar acrobatics by lead guitarist Chris Shiflett, which morphed into some blues for the occasion. “I don’t think we’ve ever played a blues song,” declared Grohl. “Let’s play a blues song.”
Somewhere in the middle was an entertaining medley that included an inventive keyboard mash-up of the Beatles and Van Halen, as well as snippets of Queen, the Ramones and more.
The Foo Fighters had not been to Ottawa in a decade and anticipation was at a fever pitch for their Bluesfest debut, making it one of the rare occasions the festival has declared a sellout in advance. Organizers opened the gates ahead of schedule to accommodate the throngs, although they should have had more personnel serving beer, too.
The mainstage opener provided further proof of the positive state of rock music. Michigan’s Greta Van Fleet consists of three brothers and a friend, none of whom look old enough to shave. In their '60sinspired outfits of fringes, feathers and bell-bottoms, the baby-faced crew played with the passion of Led Zeppelin and The Who, their energy focused on a curly haired singer whose voice soared to Robert Plant-like heights. It was a great match for a Foo Fighters.