The group is currently on a tour of major venues
Dave Grohl gave his all from the moment he ran onstage strumming his electric guitar and pointing at the near-capacity crowd. Soon enough, the rest of Foo Fighters joined him at Hersheypark Stadium on Tuesday night (July 23rd).
There are no half-measures with Foo Fighters. The group kept the energy up to 11 for hours. Grohl called it “a three-hour real stadium rock show.” It was a phrase he referenced in his typical tongue-in-cheek manner all night.
Grohl’s intensity as a guitar player is only matched by his fierceness as a vocalist. His eyes shot beams into the crowd as the heaviness of the lyrics landed with severity over the crowd. In return, they shouted every word back at the band.
The band slowed it down for the first time on “Walk,” but it still morphed into a head-banging song about perseverance. Therein might be the genius of the Foos: they love rock and roll so much, they can bend the genre to their will.
Take “Times Like These.” The song started with just an organ-sounding chord progression under Grohl, delivering the lyrics like a preacher on Sunday morning. Soon, the rest of the group kicked in and it became a full-on hard rock tune.
With Nate Mendel on Bass, Pat Smear tag-teaming guitar with Chris Shifflett and Grohl, and Rami Jaffee on keys, the band is incredibly tight. Four of the six have been together since the 90s. Jaffee was the most recent addition before drummer Taylor Hawkins’ passing. Josh Freese officially joined in that post last year. He does the music (and Hawkins) proud.
Toward the end of the night, the band used “Aurora” as their tribute to Hawkins. His presence is felt in every note. That the group has decided to continue in his strongly felt absence is the best possible tribute to Hawkins’ mark on music.
The stage set had cool three-tiered mini-OLED screen racks scattered throughout. Plus, there was a large LED screen behind the band. Perhaps coolest of all, a large Double-F compass logo hung illuminated high above the stage. It all worked to create a great mood around each song.
Foo Fighters started as a solo project for a shy Dave Grohl, coming off the ride of Nirvana. What started with him playing every instrument as a creative outlet has become one of the most important rock and roll groups in history. That importance was cemented when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility.
Dave Grohl and Foo Fighters keep the sound of true, head-banging rock alive. And in Times Like These, the shouting-and-dancing release they offered the Hershey crowd is so needed.
