“I love you too guy in the front row,” Grohl proclaims during their acoustic in the round performance, half way through their two hour plus show. It’s good to be Dave Grohl, who may be the happiest and one of the most charismatic rock stars on the planet. Performing to a sold-out crowd in the midst of a blizzard, the Foo Fighters delivered a night of great tunes in a catalog that spans now over a decade.
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Foo Fighterswith Serj Tankian and Against Me
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 Entertainment
 Art
Allstate Arena
Rosemont, Ill.
February 25, 2008
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Who knew Grohl would rise out of the ashes of Nirvana kicking and screaming, to create one of the most successful alternative rock bands in the ‘90s and now. Yet since Grohl stepped away from his drum kit, he has proven he may have been the most under-used and under-rated member of Nirvana as well.
Opened with the first two songs off of their 6th studio album, Silence, Patience & Grace, the Foos started out strong, proving their latest tunes stand up as future hits. In fact, tonight’s set list felt like a greatest hits collection from a band that has successful delivered hit singles, album after album. Tonight included radio hits “Learn to Fly,” “My Hero,” “Big Me” and “Everlong.”
During “Stacked Actors,” a song rumored to be about Courtney Love, the band left the stage to give Taylor Hawkins a solo, that’s a drum solo. Really? What can I say, am I the only person that doesn’t understand or appreciate a drum solo? I mean I get it, he’s a great drummer there’s no denying it, but a solo? Unless you are going to have the drummer in a cage where it flips upside down, Tommy Lee style, I don’t want see it.
Against Me opened the night with a short yet bombastic set for the few and the brave that fought the snow. Against Me, much like Serj Tankian, may seem like unusual openers for the pop friendly radio Foos, but I suspect they were picked not for Grohl’s fan base, as much as for his own musical taste. If you know anything about Grohl, it’s his like for everything “metal”.
Following the angst filled anthems of Against Me, an artist with a unique sound and vocal delivery was “main” frontman for System of a Down, Serj Tankian. Serj continues to promote his first solo outing, “Elect the Dead”, and tonight arrived on stage much as he did on his first leg of the tour. White stove top hat and matching suit, Serj looked like a maniacal ring master ready to conduct his musical circus act. There are not many rock singers in the Western world born in Lebanon and are Armenian-American, nor have as unique of a rhythmic musical style. Serj has a vocal way that is completely recognizable and almost hypnotic at times.
Opening with “The Unthinking Majority,” Serj set up a momentum that continued through his ten song set. As he did with his previous solo tour, Serj is currently separating himself from his SOAD tracks and only playing songs off of his solo album. Serj spent most of the night center stage on the mic but occasionally stepped it up with guitar and even piano to get his political tinged lyrics across to the masses.
If you were brave enough to head out to the Allstate show, then you were blessed with a truly wonderful night. If you arrived in time for Against me or Serj Tankian, you had a nice little bonus for the main course. Grohl and the boys have proven they are worthy of stadium tour status, and have managed to write enough songs for a two hour plus collection of tunes. There’s not many show you can go to and know everyone of the songs, but the Foo Fighters are not many bands. Dave Grohl is one of the best front men out there today and it is never more apparent then in his live performance.
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