Foo Fighters rock extended 3-hour set at Mt Smart Stadium
Roving reporter Reive heads to the Foo’s concert in Auckland. Rock legend and front man Dave Grohl does not disappoint.
If you ask someone who has seen them live before, you will know Foo Fighters have a massive reputation to live up to.
The American quintet last performed in Auckland at Western Springs in 2011, where they delivered a performance that rocked so hard it caused a small earthquake.
After local Auckland band Miss June entertained the early birds, Rise Against laid the platform with a high energy opening set comprised mostly of older, adrenalin pumping tunes, including Give it All, Prayer of the Refugee and Ready to Fall to warm up the eager crowd.
As Foo Fighters took the stage, a deafening roar filled Mt Smart Stadium to the brim while the opening riff of Something from Nothing echoed around the ground.
Not long into the set, frontman Dave Grohl made sure the adoring fans knew they were in for a hard slog.
“I don’t wanna do that two and a half hour show. [Expletive] that shit, let’s keep going.”
And keep going they did, delivering an energetic 3-hour long set that encompassed the band’s career to date.
Charismatic as ever, Grohl knows how to work an audience.
If he says sing, they sing. If he says dance, they dance. If he says clap along, they clap along – out of time as it may be.
Crowd favourites such as Monkey Wrench, Best of You and Everlong had the audience singing along, with their covers of Under Pressure, Tom Sawyer, Detroit Rock City and Let There Be Rock also going a long way in pleasing the fans.
Mid-way into the set, Grohl took the time to address the cancellation of a charity concert the night prior due an equipment truck crashing.
The band dedicated Big Me to the driver of the truck and to the people of Christchurch.
“It’s a beautiful place and those people are fighting back.”
This was soon followed by a stripped back acoustic performance of Skin and Bones and Wheels, where Grohl serenaded the loving admirers with a little help from the band’s accordion player Rami Jaffee.
Fans of all ages were entertained long into the night which only ended once the musicians could not go any longer. For a first-hand account, visit this link .
Never the band to disappoint, Foo Fighters take the best songs from their eight albums and put together a set list that leaves the crowd satisfied, merely adding to their reputation as one of the best live acts in rock.
