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FOO FIGHTERS
@ Suncorp Stadium
Brisbane, QLD
12th December, 2023
(Live Review)

Review by Tammy Whitelaw

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Dave Grohl has often been labelled as ‘The nicest guy in rock’n’roll’, but if you ask me, he’s also one of the wisest.  In his recent memoir, The Storyteller, Dave said “I stopped trying to understand fate and destiny a long time ago, but dumb luck seems to be my specialty”.  As Grohl leads his band, the Foo Fighters, through an almost three hour-long set to a sold-out crowd at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium, it’s hard to accept that the band’s success is all down to dumb luck.  As sweat pours from Dave’s face, it’s obvious that hard work, an unwavering passion for music and an undying love for their fans has helped to keep the Foo Fighters at the top of their game.

This Australian tour mark’s the first time the band has graced our shores since the untimely passing of their drummer, Taylor Hawkins last year.  Tonight feels bittersweet, but the stadium slowly fills with punters keen to hear a mix of their favourite Fooies songs along with tracks off their latest album, But Here We Are (dedicated to Taylor).

Manchester’s Hot Milk were the first band to take the stage, reminding the crowd why we all left the house on a Tuesday night: “Brisbane!  We’re all here for one reason tonight and that’s to rock and fucking roll”.  It’s not often an opener commands the stadium catwalk, but vocalists Hannah Mee and Jim Shaw strut it with confidence.  Their self-described brand of emo power-pop lands well with those who rocked up early.

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Hot Milk may be from one of the greatest rock n roll cities in the world, but The Chats hold the home town advantage tonight.  The boys from the Sunny Coast deliver their signature style of Aussie pub punk rock, complete with references only the locals would get.  “This song is about a hot day in South East Queensland.  It’s called Stinker”.  Say what you want about The Chats, but they’re a bloody good time and never take themselves too seriously, it’s hard to when you’ve got songs like Nambored, Smoko and Pub Feed.  Lead singer, Eamon Sandwith, shares with the crowd that his dad took him to see the Foo Fighters back in 2011 – no doubt inspiring every young Queenslander in the crowd that they too could share this stage with one of the greatest rock bands in the world one day.

It’s a mean feat cramming 28 years off music into three hours, but the Foo Fighters seem to have it down to an art.  The moment the opening riff of All My Life begins, the stadium erupts.  Josh Freese, the man who took on the difficult job of taking Taylor’s place behind the drumkit makes his presence known straight out of the gate, delivering an epic drum solo that rattles the stands of Suncorp Stadium.

An extended version of The Pretender, off the band’s 2007 album Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace takes it up another notch.  Dave stops and allows the crowd to take over on the outro, with the entire stadium screaming back to him “So, who are you? Yeah! Who are You” before yelling “Hey! That’s my line”.  In that moment, Dave reminds us why he’s the rock star, delivering the rest of the song in his signature growl.

Dave Grohl is such a huge personality who effortlessly commands the full attention of the crowd at all times, making it easy to forget the band behind him.  Nate Mendel, Pat Smear, Chris Shiflett and Rami Jaffee all get their solo moments respectively, and it’s in this moment that Taylor’s absence hits hard.  Taylor’s mischievous grin, long blonde locks and signature boardshorts and singlet were such an integral part of the Foo Fighters, imagining the band playing without him felt near impossible, though his successor is more than qualified.  Josh Freese gets his official introduction to the crowd, with Dave informing us all “This isn’t his first rodeo”.  Freese has played with big name acts like Devo, Guns N Roses and Nine Inch Nails, and before breaking into his drum solo, he reminds Dave that he also played drums on Brisbane band Wolfmother’s record back in the day.

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Dave pays a touching tribute to his best bud, dedicating Taylor’s favourite Foo Fighters song Aurora to the late drummer.  “We play this song every night for him”.  Emotions run high as he sings “Hellllll yeah, I remember Aurora. All this time”.  It was a balmy night in Brisbane, but I can guarantee you, every person in that stadium felt chills in that moment.

Long time Foo Fighter’s fans got their fix with early tracks Generator, Monkey Wrench and This Is A Call all making the set list.  The Brisbane fans were lucky enough to score an impromptu performance of Big Me, a song Dave says they stopped playing for a long time due to fans throwing Mentos at the stage (a reference to the film clip they shot in Sydney back in 1996).

This tour mark’s The Fooies thirteenth trip down under and it’s clear they’ve learnt a lot about us along the way.  They know there’s not much us Aussie’s love more than Acca Dacca and a homegrown hero, with Dave inviting their Australian drum tech, Fiona Jeans to take the mic for a ripsnorting cover of AC/DC’s Big Balls.  This gives Dave a moment to rest before leading the crowd in a massive sing-along of fan favourite, Best of You.

Wrapping up their mammoth three-hour set, the Fooies kick off the encore with the 10-minute epic, The Teacher, off the new record – a tribute to Dave’s late mother, Virginia.  The roar of the stadium crowd indicates no one is ready for the night to end, so Dave suggests “Let’s not say goodbye, let’s just say this” before breaking into Everlong.  Tonight, the Foo Fighters reminded us that even through the ups and downs of life, we’ll always have the music, and we’ll always have each other.  The love affair between the Foo Fighters and their Australian fans is well and truly alive.

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Follow FOO FIGHTERS
Website – Facebook – Twitter – Instagram

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Photo: Danny Clinch

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AMNPLIFY – DB