 Double bill had something for most, punk hybrid to power pop
Talk about a raucous family reunion.
When the Foo Fighters blew the roof off Cleveland State University's Wolstein Center in concert Saturday night, bandleader Dave Grohl was cheered on by a contingent of kin.
The singer-guitarist, 36, was born in Warren. He told a near-capacity crowd he "came into this world to rock" our blankety-blank butts.
Grohl made good on the threat - or was it a promise? - as he and guitarist Chris Shiflett, bass player Nate Mendel and force-of-nature drummer Taylor Hawkins delivered a 90-minute display of 21st-century rock 'n' roll, the perfect hybrid of kinetic punk gusto and catchy pop smarts.
"Best of You" and other selections from the quartet's new album, "In Your Honor," held their own alongside proven hits such as "All My Life," "My Hero" and "This Is a Call." A junk heap of amplifiers decorated the stage, and green laser beams danced above the mosh pit.
Grohl dedicated "Up in Arms" and "Learn to Fly" to his mother, Ginny Grohl, who missed the gig to attend her Boardman High School 50th reunion, and to his uncle, Tom Grohl of Hudson, respectively.
Family friend Archie Frame, a septuagenarian drummer who plays with the local combo Jazz Alive, got a shout-out before "Breakout."
After first making a name for himself in the 1990s behind the drum kit for grunge's greatest group, Nirvana, Dave Grohl has come into his own fronting the Foo Fighters, a job whose larynx-shredding duties he fulfilled with feral abandon.
He worked the audience like a pro during the bossa-nova-tinged "Stacked Actors," which found Grohl slapping high-fives with fans as he made his way to and from a satellite stage. His mostly solo rendition of "Everlong" was a treat, too.
Co-headlining the double bill was Weezer, led by the decidedly lower-key Rivers Cuomo on vocals and guitar.
Like Grohl, Cuomo briefly serenaded the crowd from the back of the arena, where he sang "Island in the Sun."
Throughout Weezer's 75-minute set, a flair for infectious power-pop came across loud and clear on "Don't Let Go," "Buddy Holly," the recent smash "Beverly Hills" and other songs. There were hooks galore, although not enough to compensate for a lack of stage presence.
Not one to hog the spotlight, Cuomo let guitarist Brian Bell, bass player Scott Shriner and drummer Pat Wilson handle lead vocals on "Why Bother?," "Dope Nose" and "Photograph," respectively. A guitar-strumming fan introduced only as Joey joined in on "Undone - The Sweater Song."
In a fun twist, Weezer even took a crack at "Big Me," a Foo Fighters oldie the latter band opted not to play.
In terms of energy, however, there was no contest between the two groups. The Foo Fighters went over like a nuclear blast; Weezer was a butterfly burp.
Somewhere between those extremes were the Kaiser Chiefs, the opening act. The British quintet's synth-spiked pop-rock wouldn't have been out of place 20 years ago on the radio or MTV. |
