After the Foo Fighters played their first few songs on Monday night at the Izod Center, Dave Grohl stepped up to the microphone to greet the crowd. As he was ready to talk, the packed arena went silent. To use a cliche, you could have heard a pin drop.
Oh to be a giant rock star. That’s the power he had over the crowd for the three hours his band played.
If you follow me on social media, you know I’ve been looking forward to this concert for months. Music is an important part of my life — soothing me when there are troubled times, inspiring me when I need creativity to flow and evoking really special memories. And the Foo Fighters rate as my favorite band with Led Zeppelin (sort of hard to see the latter in concert these days). I last saw the Foos in February 2008 during the Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace tour. Then they went on a break, so it’s been quite some time since Ive gotten to see them in concert. And it was pretty evident the last time I saw them they were tired and needed the break.
The last few weeks have been especially trying in my personal life, especially when it comes to my health. Lots of doctors saying “you’re fine” or “its not life-threatening” before sending me for more tests. Blood tests, heart monitors and more have been part of my life since Labor Day. I stopped really wanting to see my favorite band to needing to see them. I knew for a few hours I could forget the world and my problems.
What I didn’t expect is to start crying in the middle of a song.
Before playing “These Days,” new off of Wasting Light, Dave Grohl brings Krist Novoselic on stage. Yes, the same Krist Novoselic who played bass for Nirvana. Novoselic wasn’t going to play bass, though. He was going to play accordion. Huh? Grohl also mentioned how the two of them celebrated an important anniversary recently, citing the 1991 release of Nevermind. For plenty of people my age, Nevermind was a defining moment in our youth. Nirvana (and other grunge-era bands) was an important part of who I was as a teenager.
Then Grohl mentioned how the new song is his most favorite song he’s ever written (not sure if that’s hyperbole), but I fell into the moment. Especially when Grohl hit the line “One of these days your heart will stop and play its final beat.” Have I mentioned the heart monitor? So, yes, I was in tears. It was one of those overwhelming moments.
But I laugh about it saying “Dave Grohl made me cry.” But that’s the power of music, at least in my life. It makes me feel something, something that can be uncontrollable at times. And in today’s busy, crazy world, it’s good to be able to stop and be able to feel something like that even for a few minutes.
Monday’s show is one of the best I’ve ever attended with the Foo Fighters. Not only did the Foos play well (for three hours!) in a mix of old and new songs (you never hear Stacked Dead Actors in concert any more…or even This is a Call), the crowd was really into it for the most part. Aside from the people who sat in my section (how do you sit during a Foo Fighters concert?!), everyone was standing, dancing and singing loudly.
The set list had just about everything too. There was a number of songs off the new album, the old songs, acoustic during the encore, a guitar battle that included Led Zeppelin riffs and covers of Pink Floyd and Tom Petty. Not to mention Grohl telling plenty of stories in between.
The best part is I have tickets to see the Foo Fighters again in November at the Prudential Center. I’m looking forward to that show even more than I was for a variety of reasons.
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