Foo Fighters rocked SBC harder on crutches than most bands on their own two feet

Foo Fighters | Photo by Matthew Shaver | mattshaverphoto.com

The show must go on… For Dave Grohl that means wheeling out on stage in a giant throne of beheaded guitars and flashing lights. He is pretty spry for a guy with a cast on his leg and limited mobility. He’s spry for a guy that’s in his mid-40s and has been doing this for close to 30 years. Foo Fighters have been doing it for 20 already. While I wouldn’t peg them as revolutionaries of rock n’ roll, their cross-generational appeal does put them on a pedestal with legends like Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, and The Who. They live the rock n roll lifestyle like it’s 2015, however. They’re not burning down hotel rooms or being found in some alley after a three-day binge. In fact, outside of in-your-face enthusiasm, Dave and Taylor Hawkins – who seemingly appears the most alongside Grohl in interviews – seem like a pretty chill group of friends.

Ladies Love Cool Dave…  But, for all the massive talent involved, Dave is the sun around which this universe is revolving. Despite his limitations during his second Susquehanna Bank Center show of the summer – the tour was re-branded, replete with merch, as the “Break A Leg Tour” (#DadJokes) – he squirmed and shifted, screamed and cursed through the legendary catalog the best he could. I always loved the Foo Fighters ability to consistently connect to the crowd throughout their songs. Taking TV shows and turning them in to movies, taking breaks during the slow parts to hype the crowd up for the inevitable climax.

They definitely hit the ground running (sorry!) with a raucous renditions of “Everlong” and “Monkey Wrench.” They also delivered on their promise of a long night, racking up 25-ish songs (including a nice acoustic set in the middle). All-in-All the Foo Fighters did what they do best – rock. They did it the best they could on crutches.

Warm it up… I skipped over the Royal Blood album when it came out. I’m so so so so sorry I did. The mates from Brighton were a fierce rock duo. Spitting out a nice set of blues infused garage rock, they did everything in their power to fill the huge stage with their presence, and it worked. A perfect compliment to the Foo and a righteous band in their own right.

Variety is the spice of life… There are some things on the internet that have to do with Foo Fighters and photographers, and WXPN is not my soapbox for that, so don’t worry. I did, however, want to comment that I usually try to get a wide variety of shots and show all aspects of an event. It’s something I pride myself on. But due to restrictions beyond my control, it was not possible at this show. That said, check out at the gallery below to see the Foos in action, rocking out at SBC.

Setlist
Everlong
Monkey Wrench
Learn to Fly
Something From Nothing
The Pretender
Up in Arms
Congregation
Walk
Band Introduction: Panama (Van Halen cover) / Heart of the Sunrise (Yes cover) / Tom Sawyer (Rush cover)
Cold Day in the Sun
My Hero (Acoustic)
Times Like These (Acoustic)
Under Pressure (Queen & David Bowie cover)
All My Life
These Days
Outside
Breakout
Generator
This Is a Call
Breakdown (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers cover)
Aurora
White Limo
Arlandria
Tie Your Mother Down (Queen cover)
Detroit Rock City (KISS cover)
Best of You