I unexpectedly went to the Foo Fighters concert yesterday .
Unexpectedly because I wasn't planning on going, but a friend had to pull out and I bought her ticket. That was also unexpected, because I don't really dig the Foo Fighters.
I mean, I think they are OK. Acceptable. Competent. But lacking in that spark that I look for in a rock band.
The weather was not good, it had rained all afternoon and Western Springs Raceway was already soggy when we turned up so we staked a spot on the terraces and watched the support acts. We missed local heroes, Cairo Knife Fight, a band I know nothing about except that bFM name checks them constantly but never actually plays their tracks.
The second support act was Fucked Up - a canadian punk/death metal outfit who should have been terrible but come over very well. The lead singer left the stage and spent most of the set wandering around the crowd hugging people and occasionally drinking their beer between verses.
Next came the highlight of the evening for me - Tenacious D. For a joke band they did a tight set and Jack Black is genuinely funny on stage.
Finally, the Foo Fighters. Although they are not my favorite band, you have to respect a group that are prepared to play for almost 3 hours, even if 20 minutes of that was Dave Grohl nattering to the crowd. They played all their hits (after 17 years they have had quite a few) and seemed pleased to be here. The crowd loved it and even the rain let off to let them play. I can understand why Grohl is so popular, he comes across as a sincere and decent person. In my book that is a strike against him as a rocker, but I seem to be outnumbered.
Despite the rain I had a great time at the Foo Fighters. Not enough to buy their music, but I certainly got my money's worth.