 Mercury. Plant. Osbourne. Tyler. Grohl?
Throughout the history of rock music, the frontman, or frontwoman, has always been one of the defining features of the greatest bands. It requires a certain amount of charisma, energy and in-your-face attitude to achieve. The pantheon of great frontmen might need to make room for one more.
Touring in support of their most recent album, In Your Honor, the Foo Fighters rocked, rolled, screamed and jammed their way through a two-hour set, leaving everything on the stage. The bill also featured newcomers Hot Hot Heat and geek-rock gods Weezer, who did an excellent job warming up the crowd on a miserably cold and rainy day at the Meadowlands. The night, however, belonged to the Foo, who had Continental Airlines Arena filled to its capacity of 20,000.
The Foo Fighters started as a side project for David Grohl while he was drumming for Nirvana. But after the death of Kurt Cobain in 1994, the side project became his top priority. The Foo have been making albums since 1995 and have had 10 Top Ten Singles on Billboard's Modern Rock chart. With two Grammys on their mantle, Grohl's side project has evolved into one of today's quintessential rock acts.
While some bands have evolved and adapted to new styles, the Foo Fighters have never strayed from their straightforward, alt-rock sound that focuses on rebellious lyrics and powerful hooks, despite several lineup changes through the years. Grohl has been nothing less than a workaholic, collaborating with bands such as Queens Of The Stone Age - production of the heavy metal concept Probot - and even lending his multitude of talents to "The Greatest Band In The World" by Tenacious D.
Hot Hot Heat did their best to start things off on the right foot at CAA, but their new new wave, keyboard-driven sound didn't exactly have people dancing in their seats. Weezer was impressive, rifling through 18 songs in a 70 minute set. Though they got off to a slow start, things picked up with "My Name Is Jonas" from the 1994 Blue Album. Though they banged out several songs from 2005's Make Believe, it was the Blue Album/Pinkerton tracks that got the crowd excited.
"I botched the lyrics, but I'm doing my best," said Weezer mastermind Rivers Cuomo after a cover of the Foo Fighters' "Big Me." He could have tried a little harder. Although they played enough to please everyone, the band lacked energy, and Cuomo looked out of place as he bounced around the stage like an awkward child. Weezer has seen mixed success since their breakout in 1994. While their albums are critically praised, many fans are divided about the quality of their newer material. Cuomo has been criticized for abandoning introspective, heart-spilling lyricism for radio-friendly cheese like "Beverly Hills" and "Island in the Sun."
Promptly at 9:35 PM, the lights blacked out, and the simple opening riff of "In Your Honor" filled the arena. A huge, semicircular screen lifted to reveal Grohl at the mic, dressed all in black, as he called out the song's opening line, "Can you hear me?/Hear me screamin'?" The enthusiastic crowd screamed right back, and so began the 15 song, hit-filled set.
Grohl showed that he is one of the top rock frontman (or frontwoman) in the business. Storming from one end of the huge stage to the other, Gibson around his neck, the singer never seemed to run low on energy. Several songs ended with extended jams, showcasing both Grohl's and drummer Taylor Hawkins' musical skills. Despite all the energy Grohl and Hawkins exude during these jams, guitarist Chris Shiflett and bassist Nate Mendel were overshadowed, looking out of place and one step behind the charismatic frontman and drummer. The set focused mainly on the Fighters' radio hits and did not spend too much time shoving new material down the throats of the pumped-up crowd.
In between songs, Grohl took time to address the audience as only a workaholic rock star can: half-drunk. "I'm glad everybody came out to the rock show tonight," Grohl said. "It's my job to shove the rock up your ass. It's like a rock 'n' roll enema." Shove it he did, as the Foo barreled through hits like "All My Life," "Times Like These," and "Breakout." It would be a lie to say that "My Hero" didn't bring a tear to the eye, and equally as moving was Grohl's set-closing, signature, solo performance of "Everlong." The band jumped in at the last refrain to close out the show with a bang, and FF left the stage, only to reappear two minutes later for their encore.
Roger Taylor, drummer of the legendary band Queen, happened to be in town for a gig and took Hawkins' spot behind the drums for a cover of Queen's "Tie Your Mother Down," to which Hawkins sang the vocals. "Roger Taylor from fucking Queen on our stage," Grohl reminded the crowd. After explaining that encores were simply "a reason for the band to grab a cold one," Grohl and the Foo Fighters closed out the night with "Monkey Wrench" off of 1997's The Colour And The Shape.
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