Foo Fighters - Prudential Center, Newark, NJ (11.14.11)
Posted by Matt Arena on 11.21.2011
Coming off an album that’s critically acclaimed and equally loved by fans, Foo Fighters bring their Wasting Light Tour to New Jersey. But do they live up to the hype as one of the best bands in rock?
A simple answer to that above question would be yes. I’ve seen Foo Fighters twice before this gig, both this summer, and both times within 24 hours of each other. They did a ridiculously small (1000 capacity) club show at the Metro in Chicago the night before their headlining set at Lollapalooza. Having never seen them before, it was amazing to see a band play a place about 1/20th of the size they usually play. This time though, it was a big arena rock show. Newark was one of the last stops on the US tour and I was excited to see how different they would be on a big stage.
Before FF came on, was tour support The Joy Formidable. The English rock trio hailing from North Wales was definitely far from home and playing in a venue they normally wouldn’t. I had seen them previously opening at the Metro at the club FF show and enjoyed them, but they felt a thousand times better in an arena. Their music seemed to really fill the massive venue, with their heavily distorted and fuzzy guitar riffs and bass lines echoing through every nook of the Prudential Center. Lead singer/guitarist Ritzy Bryan gives the band a unique sound with her voice but also provides a lot of energy by throwing herself around the stage like a madwoman. The entire band was high-energy and the enthusiastic crowd was proof of that. After being discovered by Dave Grohl hearing one of their songs on the radio and writing down all the lyrics, they’ve no doubt picked up many new fans off this massive tour with Foo Fighters. Below was a set highlight for me, a song called “A Heavy Abacaus” from their headlining show at the famous Koko in London:
Following The Joy Formidable was Social Distortion, a band who obviously doesn’t need to be playing support for Foo Fighters, but joined the tour anyway. I’ve seen them previously at Voodoo Experience in New Orleans so for the sake of not repeating myself, go ahead and check out what of thought of them here if you’re interested.
As Foo Fighters took the stage, I was privy to the simple, yet spectacular stage set up at work. It seemed as if there were a couple simple light fixtures above the stage. Nothing special really. But the individual rigs dropped all the way to the stage floor as the band walked in between the massive lighting rigs, which showed off how intricate the lighting really was. The stage exploded into a mix of lights and sounds as the band ripped right into the first two tracks off Wasting Light, Bridge Burning and Rope. For a band like Foo Fighters, you’d be hard pressed to look through their setlist and find a weak spot. They have so many hits and pepper them well throughout the set, mixing with a healthy dose of older songs. In the first 7 songs there wasn’t a slow point to be found with crowd pleasers like Learn to Fly, The Pretender, and My Hero all getting the audience whipped into a frenzy from the start. What makes Foo Fighters shows so great is the level of interaction you get from the band. I’m not just talking about Dave Grohl’s hilarious banter in between songs, but just the feeling of intimacy they can create in a venue with 18,000+ other people. For example, there was a woman with a light-up sign that said “This is my first Foo Fighters show!” and Grohl took the opportunity to jokingly ask her “what the fuck took you so long? It’s been 17 years! What am I supposed to come pick you up at your fucking house and take you to one of our shows?” Even little things like a nod and point from guitarist Chris Shiflett to my little group after songs to show that they appreciate us rocking the hell out for them. Granted, I was right on the barrier but Grohl ran around the stage during every single song, showing each section of the arena lots of love. It’s rare to see a band that big and playing in a place that big to be able to make you feel like they actually give a crap that you’re there. It’s easy for bands to just play their 90-minute sets and walk off the stage. Not Foo Fighters. At the start of the set, Dave Grohl made that a point. “We’re not one of those bands that plays eensy, weensy, little fucking 90 minute shows. We play songs till we feel like we’re gonna throw up. It’s gonna be a long fucking night.” To say you get your money’s worth would be an understatement. Around 3 hours, with over 20 songs, there really isn’t much more you could ask for from a band.
Hell, their main set is longer than most band’s full sets. It was great to hear older songs like Stacked Actors (a show highlight for me) mix so well with the newer stuff. That may have a lot to do with their newer stuff being some of the best material they have. That was evident with not only the number of new songs but also how well they sounded. White Limo is arguably the hardest song they have and they made sure to bring it live. A nice surprise towards the end of the main set was I Should Have Known, a fantastic track off Wasting Light (my personal favorite from the album) and a song that hadn’t been a regular staple so far this tour. I was talking with a friend who went to the show at Madison Square Garden the night before and remarked on how I was bummed they didn’t play I Should Have Known, only to have it show up the next night at Prudential Center. I think Dave Grohl may be tracking my facebook comments. The set was stacked with lots of new songs, which is always a tricky thing if the new material isn’t great, but in this case it was wonderful. Wasting Light is one of their best albums and if anything I was looking for even more tracks to appear in the set.
After a massive 17 song main set, a video was broadcasted on the screens where the band members popped up asking the audience how many songs they wanted for the encore. 1? 2? Most bands go for that. No Foo Fighters. 3? 4? Pretty impressive, but still not enough. 5? …6?!?! Yup. As drummer Taylor Hawkins held up six fingers, the crowd went crazy, only to have Dave Grohl suddenly appear on the end of the massive walkway with an acoustic guitar. After poking fun at the people in the nosebleeds, “you guys just couldn’t get your shit together when the tickets went on sale, could you?” he dedicated a couple songs to one section who was particularly nuts. The mini-acoustic set comprised of 3 songs, in the middle of which Grohl had a pretty interesting offer for the crowd. During “Wheels” he told the crowd that if they sang loud enough, they’d come back and play one of the local clubs. Now at MSG the night before he promised the Bowery Ballroom. For those not familiar with the Bowery, it holds 500 people. At the last few shows of the tour it seems as if Grohl started booking their next tour. There aren’t any concrete plans besides the front man’s promises at shows, but knowing them I’m sure a tiny club tour announcement is imminent. Stuff like this is what makes Foo Fighters such an amazing band. They actually care about the fans and want nothing more than to put on an amazing show every night. I wish more bands would have this type of mindset. Closing out the encore they brought up Bob Mould, who collaborated in studio for Dear Rosemary and reprised his role of guitarist/back-up vocalist for the song live. It’s an awesome track and even better with Mould’s contrasting vocal style. Mould stayed out for a Tom Petty cover, then left as the band closed out with Everlong. Easily their biggest hit, this was evident by the near deafening sing-along and cheering from the crowd.
They thanked the crowd and left, no doubt leaving everyone in attendance with their minds thoroughly blown. Guitarist Chris Shiflett even went as far to make sure two little boys in the front row got setlists from the stage. Most bands members probably wouldn’t even notice the two kids up front, let alone hand them setlists. No doubt something those kids will remember for the rest of their lives. This was how an arena rock show should be done. Foo Fighters should run a course on how to play live as they really embody everything a band should strive to be. Even if you don’t like their music, it’s hard not to have an incredible amount of respect for what this band does as a live act. I’ve seen a lot of shows. I’m not saying this to be elitist or to brag, but to merely give some perspective; Foo Fighters put on possibly the best show I’ve ever seen. I was completely blown away by their performance, connection with the crowd, setlist, stage design; just everything was perfect. Hands down one of the best shows I’ve ever seen and an instant entry into my top 5 best gigs of all time list.
*NOTE: I NEVER give out 10s. That should tell you how amazing this show was.
The 411: It’s rare where I can leave a show and not have a single thought as to what could have made it better. There’s no doubt that this band really does play until they feel like throwing up and it makes the crowd give it their all as well. When they’re not slaying the massive venue with their balls-to-the-wall music, Dave Grohl provides a hilarious narration by commenting on anything that catches his eye in the crowd. And I mean anything. Even when poking obscenity-laden fun at his audience, you can feel the love from the band’s frontman. Everything about this show was fun and entertaining. If you haven’t seen a Foo Fighters show yet, you are seriously missing out. Because there aren’t many other bands that do it like they do.
