Foo Fighters
Riviera, Chicago (January 9, 2001)
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Foo Fighters
Riviera, Chicago
January 9, 2001 |
Here is my initial diagnosis: Dave Grohl is obviously known for rocking out. As a drummer for Nirvana, he destroyed the drums (literally and figuratively), and he kept the same momentum when recording his stellar debut album. Anyone who caught the Foo Fighters on their first couple tours in 1995 and 1996 knows that they could get their money's worth at a Foo show. In 1997 Grohl and Co. released their second album, The Colour And The Shape, and it was clear that Grohl was concentrating more on songwriting and less on rocking out. I never liked the album that much, and still don't, but I saw them on the tour following the release, and they played an exceptional show, apart from the obligatory "Big Me," they played a set of all rockers. But if the Foos' Rock In Rio "warm-up gig" in Chicago was any indication of what lies ahead, I can only prescribe one thing to help their career: a head coach.
The musicianship was there, the energy was there, but the flow was completely missing. The Foo Fighters need a head coach with a good playbook to help them fine-tune their setlist. They started off strong, with a nice extended intro to the mellow "Aurora" (from There Is Nothing Left To Lose) that allowed the anxious crowd to catch their breath and ease into the show before being blasted by "This Is A Call." But then the band brought it down a notch with the adult contempo hit-of-the-year "Learn To Fly," and promptly killed all momentum with the mellow "Up In Arms" and "Big Me." The rest of the show followed suit: a loud and fast song followed by mediocre mid-tempo song.
One variation of the show came when Grohl took his guitar out to meet the crowd during an extended midsection of "Stacked Actors," which has become somewhat of a tradition at recent Foo Fighter shows. Grohl climbed from the stage to the Riviera's balcony and played feedback drivel with the rest of the band while he traversed the balcony to the other side of the theatre. While it was nice to see Mr. Grohl up close and personal, the band needs to work on their mid-set vamping before they start walking into the crowd.
Despite a few awkward moments, and some extended lulls between songs, the most frustrating part of the show remained the band's setlist. For a band with so much potential to tear the roof off of a place, the Foo Fighters choose to play it safe with more recent material, and ended up sounding like a Rick Springfield or Cheap Trick retread.
Before Grohl introduced the evening's last song, the catchy "Breakout," he mentioned that he might not be back on stage for another year or two, because he and his mates were going to go home and record a double heavy metal album. Let's hope that he was not just joking around, because it is crucial that the Foos beef up their catalog with more distortion and loud drums. I am recommending a year abroad with coach Lemmy Kilminster followed by a mini-tour with At The Drive-In.
MARK GROESCHNER | Mark Groeschner is the creator of the late, great satirical Web site Public Nigmity. When not soothing the nerves of his pudgy cat Yoda or harassing people from afar on the Internet, he works for the commercial/video production company Brand New School.