VICTORY LAP: With two fresh Grammys under their belts, Dave Grohl and Foo Fighters did what they do best. |
When, 13 years ago, Dave Grohl strapped on a guitar and stepped into the spotlight as the frontman of Foo Fighters, its angst-ridden alt-rock was old news, and the young band at once became members of the old guard. Grohl has made the best of it, and 10,000 fans showed their appreciation a week ago Monday at Worcester’s DCU Center. Reveling in their first performance since picking up two Grammys for 2007’s Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace (RCA), the Foos — Grohl, drummer Taylor Hawkins, bassist Nate Mendel, and guitarist Chris Shiflett — unleashed two hours of their best. As Grohl half-growled and laughed, modern-day Foo is “older, wiser, faster, louder.”
The set opened with the slow-burn acoustic intro of “Let It Die” before Grohl let loose his first ragged scream of the night, whipped his long hair to and fro, and sent the crowd into a fist-pumping fury. A largely acoustic interlude mid set included unplugged takes on the ballads “Hero” and “But Honestly,” but then it was back to what the Foos do best — the kind of loud, fast, hooky angst rock on which the alt-rock boom was built.
Whereas opener Serj Tankian’s brand of Middle Eastern grind prompted wistful memories of Tankian’s former band, the superior System of a Down, the Florida quartet Against Me! proved that there’s always a place for inspired, straight-up, sweaty punk rock. The shout-out drive of “Stop” and “From Her Lips to God’s Ears” (an ode to Condoleezza Rice) was powerful enough to put the Foos on notice. Not that that seemed to bother Grohl in the least.
