Review: The Foo Fighters at Vector Arena

With his shaggy hair and full facial beard, Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl cut a Moses-like figure as he walked on stage at Vector Arena last night.Striding the central runway that cut a swathe through the packed floor, Grohl added to the imagery, raising his hands above the sea of devoted followers.For two minutes, the former Nirvana drummer crossed the stage, seemingly in awe of the capacity crowd, before singing the first deep verse of Let It Die.As the crowd began baying, Grohl let out a mighty roar, unleashing a frenetic explosion and running across the stage like a man possessed.Despite being a miserable Monday night, fans were instantly transported to a rowdy Saturday evening, drunk on Grohl's intoxicating energy.For the next 40 minutes, Grohl and band (though really this is a one-man show - perhaps one-and-a-half if you count drummer Taylor Hawkins) belted out hits thick and fast, including The Pretender, Times Like These, Learn to Fly and This Is A Call.




Unlike some rockers who simply grunt out a few lines between songs, Grohl thrilled his audience by delivering fully-fledged monologues to the crowd throughout the night.His first came just four songs in with Grohl praising the loud and enthusiastic crowd."You guys went harder than anyone else on the tour. That's why we come here every f***ing time. It's a long flight."Later in the evening, Grohl embarked on a lengthy explanation of an instrumental song he wrote for the Beaconsfield miners, an incident that he said changed his life forever.It's testament to Grohl's charisma and showmanship that he maintained the audience's attention throughout these sometimes lengthy segues.The Ballad of the Beaconsfield Miners came during the lower-key acoustic set of the evening, which saw a second stage lowered from the ceiling.As the energy died down to a simmer, the crowd watched entranced as the band played lighter, more melodic numbers, including Skin and Bones and My Hero.Nearly two hours in, the band returned to the main stage for their closing set, including three raging encores, which saw Grohl bring the crowd back to a boil, working them into a lathered frenzy.It's a rare sight to see a performer enjoy their show as much as the crowd, but Grohl certainly does. And that's worth shouting about.