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Thursday, January 24, 2008

Foo Fighters Concert 01/23/08

From the Dallas Observer. (my review is below)

Here is a link to some of the photos from the Foo Fighters

http://foofighters.com/blackbox/pictures/2008_01_23_dallas/


Last Night: Foo Fighters at American Airlines CenterThu Jan 24, 2008 at 02:12:50 AM
Foo Fighters January 23, 2008 American Airlines Center Better Than: According to Foo Fighters' frontman Dave Grohl, it was better than their last Dallas gig. “I think this may be the biggest show we've had here,” he said. “I think the last one was with the Weezer band. This one is better.”Download: Photos and videos ("Stacked Actors" and guitar battle and Grohl's guitar solo)If the crowd at Wednesday's Foo Fighters show was any indication, the band is far past being a household name. The mom and dad who tell their friends they're cool were there – with children in tow, of course – their actually cool counterpart, droves of college kids and one dude sporting a seriously creative black and red fashion mohawk filled the arena. (Admittedly, the floor was probably only half full, but the seats were packed.)And it's easy to see why everyone has fallen in love with the band: Dave Grohl is enigmatic. In under a minute on stage he had the audience clapping in unison. He fluttered about the stage, running from the west to the east throwing down the moves everyone attempts in Guitar Hero while dishing out power chords. Oh, but the massive American Airlines Center stage just isn't enough for Grohl. He made use of an aisle extending ¾ of the length of the floor throughout the set, particularly on shred-heavy songs like “Stacked Actors,” “Breakout” and “The Pretender.”The first time, he charged down the catwalk encouraging arena sections to applaud. The second ignited a solo binge by the band members –- the first few minutes were fun and impressive, the next few were a bit self-indulgent. It was the third walk down the center that resulted in mouths agape. Grohl sauntered down the aisle while playing “Skin and Bones” on an acoustic guitar. When he reached the end, another stage already set with drum kit and microphones descended from the roof. The rest of the band (and the auxiliary musicians including former Foo Pat Smear) paraded down the aisle and took their places on the second stage. The idea was great. The execution wasn't. The band performed an acoustic set (their whole performance was a glorious two and a half hours) on the other stage. It sounded great. The lighting was intriguing. So, what's my beef? Eighty percent of the audience was stuck staring at all the musician’s backs for the whole thing. The Foo Fighters did place microphones on the east and west sides of the stage, too, and rotated among them, but it still left the band performing almost entirely for the fans in the back curve. That said, the acoustic songs were, overall, stunning. The crowd's voice nearly overpowered Grohl's during “My Hero.” It was beautiful, and hearing thousands sing along brought heightened warmth to the song. Despite watching the band members' backs for the middle of the show, I'm still confident this one will go onto my list of best shows of 2008. The band's live energy is intoxicating. This heightened performance caliber leaves people feeling as though they were just a part of something meaningful... even though it was just a rock show. -- Chelsea IdeCritic's NotebookPersonal Bias: Back when the Foo Fighters were a baby band, my mom introduced me to their tunes. She also tipped me off to Green Day. My mom rules. By The Way: The Dallas show was the first of the band's tour with Jimmy Eat World. The next date is Friday in Memphis. Check here for a full schedule.Random Detail: Foo drummer Taylor Hawkins is a local. As Grohl put it during the show: “If it weren't for Dallas, Texas, we wouldn't have your native son, the greatest drummer in rock and roll, Taylor Hawkins.” He also name-checked Denton. Maybe little d is growing up?


This one from Lea Anne 

I personally thought the show was fantastic. I took my kid brother to his first concert. His exact quote was “this was the best Christmas present ever”. Mixed among us were tons of people from as young as him to people that are way older than my parents. The couple in front of us with their friend were completely wasted were pretty entertaining themselves. He is apparently a professional drummer. Nice people!

I saw the Foo Fighters two and a half years ago when they came to town with Weezer (or at least Weezer is why I went to the show). I had been a fan of Dave Grohl since the beginning of the Nirvana days but I just really had not gotten into the Foo Fighters. Don’t get me wrong I knew most of their songs but I went to the show strictly to see Weezer. Well that all changed when my ex and I decided to stay and hear a couple of songs from the Foo. We ended up staying until the last song! Not only have they become one of my favorite bands but I can easily say that 2005, before last night, was the best concert to date that I had seen. And I even saw Depeche Mode two months after that.

When they started with “Let it Die” all you could hear were cheers and claps for the band. I love the old shit that they play. When “Times like these” started I was full on jumping and thrashing my arm into the air. There is just such a great feeling to hear the songs from your younger past preformed live. To see my younger brothers face when all of the songs he knew were played. Its priceless.

During the acoustic set he said that he was about ready to go. Being 12 and out till 11:30 must be hard on a kid. I made him sit thru it and we got to hear big me as one of the encores. Not only was he happy that we stayed but he also got to see what an encore was like for a band that appreciates the fans.

All in all it was a fantastic show. I can’t wait until they come back. Now I have promised him that we will be attending Weezer and Rage when or if they come to town.

Holler Everyone
Lea Anne

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