January 21, 2024

Foo Fighters – Mt Smart Stadium: January 21, 2024

Foo Fighters returned to Auckland and made over 35,000 fans very happy leading this reviewer to ask the question, “Is Dave Grohl the Tom Hanks of rock & roll?”

The Foos are no strangers to New Zealand, If I’m not mistaken, this is their 11^th journey to our shores, their third at Mt Smart along with a couple of Big Day Outs, a show at Western Springs and their first one, an opening slot for Sonic Youth at Logan Campbell.

I’ve seen many of these shows, beginning with the 1996 Logan Campbell gig, so that’s a lot of history stretched over 28 years.

The act has transformed itself from Grohl’s post-Nirvana solo project to becoming the biggest stadium rockers on the planet. All this based on a relentless work ethic, a constant stream of albums (2023’s But We are Here is their 11^th studio record), flawless musicianship, a handful of catchy songs along Grohl’s toothy grin and “Mr. Nice Guy” personae. And while I’ve never met Mr Grohl, I have no reason to doubt he is a peach of a guy…although I do remember Veruca Salt’s Louise Post having a go at him from the stage of the Powerstation back in ’97, after they split up.

But that was then and this is now.

A cliché that seems appropriate given the fact that last night’s Foo Fighters show was riddled with rock & roll clichés.

They were all there…bombastic drum solos, crowd-pleasing singalongs, a special guest appearance, extended guitar solos, an “acoustic” set, a huge video display and enough volume to rattle your teeth.

Throughout it all Dave was an amiable, if foul-mouthed, host. Of course his insistent use of the “f” word just proves what a regular guy he is, strengthening the bond between rock star and adoring fan.

The show was big, loud and long, kicking off at 8pm with All My Life. The band is now guitarists Chris Shiflett and Pat Smear, keyboard player Rami Jaffee, Nate Mendel on bass and Josh Freese, taking over for the late Taylor Hawkins on drums.

Make no mistake, these guys can play, particularly Freese, who has an impressive CV having played with everyone from Devo to Nine Inch Nails.

But…yes there is a but…other than a handful of descent songs such as Monkey Wrench, Everlong, My Hero and Big Me, my opinion is, that this is a band that is woefully short on quality material.

Now, I’m sure that many of the 50,000 would disagree, and they have every right to, but I found myself slipping into a stupor after being jackhammered with one over blown, melody-free “song” after another.

Freese and Jaffee seemed to be overcompensating by overplaying throughout the show. And while Freese is a technically excellent drummer, overall he and the band lack a certain swing to their step.

It’s all rock and very little roll.

So, highlights are the aforementioned “descent” songs…although Big Me was not performed. The guest appearance by Jack Black singing AC/DC’s Big Balls (along with drum tech “Fiona”) was certainly entertaining. And the crowd itself was fun to watch, shouting, stomping, whistling and singing along for nearly three hours.

Now, I love a good three hour concert…Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen come to mind immediately…but Foo Fighters are not The E Street Band, and Dave Grohl has a long way to go before he writes enough classic rock tunes to take up three hours’ time.

So, there you have it. An unpopular opinion I’m sure, but an honest one, nonetheless.

Whether or not Dave Grohl is the Tom Hanks of rock & roll is up for debate, but for me, I quote the great Alice Cooper…No More Mister Nice Guy…give this generic stadium rock some edge and, either write more hits, or cut the show time in half.

Marty Duda

Dick Move and The Breeders opened the show but due to the sad state of Auckland’s roads and public transportation, we missed them.

Click on any image to view a photo gallery courtesy Doug Peters