Foo Fighters at Citi Field, photo by Johnny Perilla
The kickoff to Foo Fighters ’ US summer stadium tour at Citi Field in Queens, New York, didn’t go as planned on Wednesday (July 17th) when a round of thunderstorms cut short the band’s set after an hour and 20 minutes. Thankfully, fans who attended the second show at Citi Field on Friday (July 19th) were treated to the whole Grohl show.
In fact, Friday’s weather was damn near perfect, with lower humidity making for a comfortable evening. The sun was still out in full force when Australian pub-punkers Amyl and the Sniffers took the stage at 5:30 p.m. While the stadium was still mostly empty at the time, it didn’t stop singer Amy Taylor and company from delivering a high energy half-hour set, including our recent Heavy Song of the Week , “U Should Not Be Doing That.”
At 6:30, it was time for Swedish punkers The Hives to take the stage, and they captured the stadium crowd’s attention from the get-go. Singer Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist could teach a master class in fronting a band, combining humor and bravado into a highly entertaining character who looks like the love child of The New York Dolls’ David Johannsen (or Buster Poindexter, to some) and The Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger.
Almqvist’s tongue-in-cheek cockiness and audience interaction was only matched by the infectiousness of The Hives’ songs, including the Stooges-eque “Good Samaritan,” their breakout US hit “Hate to Say I Told You So,” and the set-closing anthem “Tick Tick Boom.”
The Hives certainly warmed up the crowd for Foo Fighters, who walked out onstage at 8 p.m. and promptly ripped into “All My Life” with the fury of a young band trying to win over an audience at a small club. Only in this case, it was a sold-out stadium of roughly 40,000 people.
Dave Grohl made immediate reference to the previous show, letting the “Night 2” fans know he was watching the weather report all day, and that they were likely in for the full three-hour experience this time around. The band followed “All My Life” with “No Son of Mine” (featuring a bit of Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid”), “Rescued,” “The Pretender,” and “Walk,” offering a lively beginning to what would be a marathon set.
After an emotional rendition of “Times Like These,” Grohl and company broke out There Is Nothing Left to Lose cuts “Generator” and “Breakout,” pleasing longtime fans of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band.
A medley including Van Halen’s “Eruption,” AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck,” Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage,” Ramones’ “Blitzkrieg Bop,” and Nine Inch Nails’ “March of the Pigs,” served as band introductions, with Grohl noting that it wouldn’t have been possible for the Foos to continue as a band without drummer Josh Freese, who joined Foo Fighters following the tragic passing of Taylor Hawkins.
Other favorites like “My Hero,” “Learn to Fly,” “This Is a Call,” and “Monkey Wrench” followed, as did “Shame, Shame” featuring a guest appearance from Grohl’s favorite singer, his daughter Violet, who also appears on the studio version of the Medicine at Midnight track.
The main set concluded with a heartfelt performance of “Aurora,” dedicated to Hawkins (his favorite Foo Fighters song), and a rousing rendition of the anthemic “Best of You” that turned into a thousands-strong sing-along.
The Foos returned to the stage for a two-song encore, beginning with the 10-minute long “The Teacher” from the band’s latest album, But Here We Are . The night ended with the classic “Everlong,” which was accompanied by a huge fireworks display, putting a festive bow on a majestic evening at Citi Field.
Three decades into their career, the Foos once again proved why they’re one of the most beloved rock acts on the planet. Dave Grohl and his bandmates always put the fans first, and they don’t stop playing until everyone in the crowd has been thoroughly rocked.
Foo Fighters’ summer tour continues Sunday night (July 21st) at Fenway Park in Boston, and runs through an August 18th show at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park, with tickets available here . See our photos from the second Citi Field show below, followed by fan-filmed videos and the setlist.
Foo Fighters Setlist: All My Life No Son of Mine (with Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid” snippet) Rescued The Pretender Walk Times Like These Generator La Dee Da Breakout Eruption / Thunderstruck / Sabotage / Keyboard Solo / Blitzkrieg Bop / March of the Pigs (band introductions) My Hero The Sky Is a Neighborhood Learn to Fly Arlandria Stairway to Heaven (partial Led Zeppelin cover – Dave solo) These Days Skin and Bones (acoustic, Dave on guitar; Rami on accordion) Under You (Dave solo acoustic) Nothing at All (with The Beatles’ “Blackbird” snippet) Shame Shame (with Violet Grohl) This Is a Call Monkey Wrench Aurora (dedicated to Taylor Hawkins) Best of You Encore: The Teacher Everlong
Consequence (formerly Consequence Of Sound)2 days ago
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