Dave Grohl will likely maintain the label ‘rockin’ badass’ for all the rest of his time on earth. He’s performed in over 30 bands in his 42 years of life, and judging from his unstoppable energy at the Foo Fighters’ set at Sasquatch! , there’ll likely be appearances in several more down the road. I’ve never been a gigantic fan of the Foo’s, usually feeling that their poppier take on things let Grohl stray too far away from his original hard rock nature. But I also know my opinion stems from the wish that it was still 1992, and Grohl was still drumming with that Seattle trio you may have heard of.
To disprove my doubt, the Foo Fighters smacked me in the face at this festival, playing a two-hour set drenched in ferocity and straight up rawk. It was a collection of greatest hits, plus tracks from their new album, Wasting Light. Old friend, Butch Vig's hand in producing this latest release certainly made it obvious where this rougher edge to the band’s sound was coming from.
That roughness was conveyed through a super loud set that had Grohl headbanging like a madman the entire time. Current radio hit “Rope” was played early, and it truly is a great new song - one of their best in a while. Bob Mould of Husker Du fame, who had played the Main Stage earlier that day, joined the band for “Dear Rosemary,” a track he had sung on for the new album. It was delivered in a sweetly bursting kind of way.
“Monkey Wrench” was as manic as ever, and “Breakout” ended with a intense guitar/drum-off that managed to morph the song into something alluring. I was caught off guard when “My Hero” started, because I had willfully forced that song out of my memory after hearing it for the millionth time a few years ago. The band did a masterful job of performing it, though, adding monumental build-ups mid-song to delays in procession. They would end up doing this with multiple songs, and while it didn’t always work, they fit it to “My Hero” perfectly.
The Foo’s unleashed their rawer side again with “White Limo,” a nearly screaming metal song that was definitely one of my faves of the night. Drummer Taylor Hawkins surprised me with fantastic solo vocals on “Cold Day In The Sun,” a Springsteen-esque tune that showed Hawkins to have a Tom Petty-like voice. His drumming was continuously impressive, as was the riffin’ guitar of Chris Shifflet, the rhythm complementing bass of Nate Mendel and the mesmeric guitar skills of Pat Smear. It felt historic to see Grohl and Smear together on the stage, and rumors had circulated that Krist Novoselic would be joining them onstage for somewhat of a Nirvana reunion. Sadly, the rumors were false.
In the end, it was a terrific showing by a band I had never really believed in for 17 years. It may have something to do with my passionate appreciation for anything I see Grohl do live, but mostly it was due to the awesome solidarity these guys have acquired through playing music with each other for as long as they have.
