Rock Legends the Foo Fighters take Johannesburg by Storm

Review || Foo Fighters Johannesburg 

Saturday night 13 December 2014, saw 50 000- 60 000 fans descend on the iconic FNB stadium to witness the  legendary American Rock Outfit -Foo Fighters at the second of their two show South African tour. Now this is very different to the usual electronic events we cover. But when the opportunity came for us as a special media invite courtesy of Big Concerts to witness the “Foos” live in action on home soil well, it is a no-brainer and we could not resist.  Has to be said that as media guests getting into the stadium was seamless and easy and we had awesome seats too!

The opening act was South African rock band BLK JKS who told us during their performance that the Foo Fighters had requested them as openers. Pretty cool having home grown talent being requested by and showcased at performances by world greats. They were followed by the English Indie rock band the “Kaizer Chiefs” yes named after the South African football club Kaizer chiefs. Definitely a special performance as the lead singer Ricky Wilson crooned and charmed crowds in a Kaizer Chiefs kit shirt. A stand out moment was most definitely when they performed one of our favourites “Ruby” and the entire stadium crooned along.

The  Kaizer Chiefs definitely set the scene for the main act the Foo Fighters who were greeted with the eruption of near to 50 000 screaming people as they appeared on stage led by lead vocalist and guitarist Dave Grohl belting out the grammy award winning track “All my life”.

Now it has to be said the 45 year old Dave Grohl the former Nirvana drummer with roles as the “Foos” lead vocalist, guitarist and drummer/percussionist is truly the epitome of rock legend. He along with the band had the crowd eating out of the palm of their hands as they performed hits stretching across their 20 year existence.

Dave Grohl meant business when he kindly told the crowd that they should prepare for a “ very long night” as they only plan to stop the performance when they are tired “none of the 1 hour, 1 ½  , 2 hour or even 2 ½ hour shit, we go on until we tired”  he quipped and was not joking as  the performance lasted a whopping 3 hours. Most definitely worth the price tag right?!?

Being their first ever performance in South Africa, 20 years late, Grohl told the crowd, “This is our first time here ever and it’s a really big deal. We didn’t know if anyone knew our songs or the band, but since we got here, everyone has been so nice to the band I have no idea why we waited so long.

Every time we made a record we’d tour all the usual places, America, Canada, the UK, Japan, and then someone would say ‘Hey, do you want to go to those places you’ve never been? And we were like hell no! We’re exhausted’. But this time we thought, why don’t we start the world tour in South Africa?”

Lucky us!

Over the three hours the Foo Fighters took over FNB stadium and captivated fans as they performed some of their greatest hits and fan favourites including: "Learn to Fly", "Breakout",  "Hey Johnny Park!", "Monkey Wrench", "Congregation" and "Walk". We were also treated to solo Grohl performances of "Wheels" and "Times Like These".

Memorable moments were definitely when Grohl and drummer Taylor Hawkins swopped roles. Hawkins showcased his vocal talent by singing a cover of Cheap Tricks “Stiff competition” while Grohl displayed instrumental mastery on the drums. That was not the end of the covers though as the band also performed a cover of Queen and David Bowie’s seminal hit “Under Pressure”, as well as the Rolling Stones’ “Miss You” much to the crowds delight as the show neared the end. With an already impeccable performance and without a doubt having pleased the thousands of fans the Foo Fighters closed their show with “Best of You” followed by “Everlong”

The Foo Fighters most definitely delivered a flawless performance and a memorable experience and it is without a doubt that anyone who was disappointed by the show seriously needs to get their head checked.

Thanks to Big Concerts and all the Partners for making the Foo Fighters possible and hopefully as Grohl said they will be back!