Foo Fighters have just completed two dates at Liverpool's Anfield stadium, with frontman Dave Grohl hinting at a return after what he called 'the night of our lives'. The band played a mammoth three-hour set on Saturday night, the second of two UK shows, leaving fans spellbound and Grohl declaring: 'I've got a plan.'
Electric Atmosphere from the Start
Despite Merseyside's amber weather warning lifting, the heat remained intense as Dave Grohl raced down the ramp to greet thousands of fans packed into Anfield on Saturday night. Appearing through a haze of red smoke, he shouted: 'Are you ready? Are you f***ing ready? Do you want to dance? Come on!' The band launched into All My Life, sending the crowd into a frenzy, with arms waving on the pitch. They then blistered through The Pretender, Times Like These, Rope and Breakout without pause.
Grohl later explained the relentless pace: 'Just so you know, if you're wondering why we play song after song after song after song, it's because we have too many songs. We can't play all the songs, you want to hear all the songs. So we play as many as we can in a row.'
Magical Moments and Deep Cuts
One of the first big chills came during My Hero, as the entire stadium carried the song while the band watched in awe from the stage. A loving nod to the late Lemmy saw No Son of Mine blended with Motorhead's Ace of Spades. The band also played an acoustic set from a B-Stage at the end of the ramp, including Wheels and Marigold, a track Grohl wrote in the early 90s. For reviewer Cheryl Mullin, it was a bucket list moment, having loved the song since hearing it on the B-Side of Nirvana's Heart-Shaped Box.
Big Me saw a fan dressed as a giant packet of Mentos invited on stage. Grohl warned him: 'You've got to dance for the f***ing audience.' The fan danced, belted out the end of the song, and posed for a selfie, prompting Grohl to laughingly say 'get the f*** off my stage' before adding 'when s*** like this happens, that means this is the night of our lives, so thank you.'
Dedications and Beatles Cover
Pat Smear performed the Germs' Manimal, a deep cut from his pre-Foos days. The crowd received a screaming lesson for Monkey Wrench, with Grohl's image vibrating on giant screens. Dedicating Aurora to Taylor Hawkins, Anfield became a sea of light as phones were waved. Best of You brought the show to a spine-tingling end, with thousands of voices carrying into the night.
Grohl told the crowd: 'I'm going to be real with you, I wish every day was exactly like this. You guys are so f***ing awesome. Thank you so much. But I kind of have a feeling that it's just this place and these people. I don't think anywhere else is like this. I think it means we might need to come back. I've got a plan.'
Encore and Fireworks Finale
The band left the stage momentarily before returning for the home stretch. The Teacher was dedicated to Grohl's mother Virginia, and the pace slowed with Unconditional. Earlier, Grohl had declared that 'everything I learned about rock and roll came from this city,' so it was fitting they then played a Beatles track, I Want You (She's So Heavy), for the first time live. After a cutdown version of Exhausted, they launched into Everlong, ending with the same energy they started. Fireworks lit up the night sky as the song came to an explosive end.
Whatever Dave's plans are, fans hope it involves a return visit to Liverpool soon.
