LIVE, IN PHOTOS: Foo Fighters Roll into Los Angeles with a Ton of Friends (9/21/2015)

Foo Fighters
Gary Clark Jr.
September 21, 2015
The Forum
Los Angeles, California

It’s been twenty years since Foo Fighters released their self-titled debut album, but you wouldn’t know that the guys have aged two decades from the way that they performed last night as they played at The Forum in Los Angeles. Led by the injured but unstoppable Dave Grohl on his mobile guitar throne, the five-piece powered through a two-and-a-half-hour set featuring all the hits, a few deep cuts, and a whole lot of banter. Even now, when they’re generally regarded as one of the most successful rock bands of our time, they remain approachable.

The band’s friendly air is thanks in part to Grohl’s boyish attitude. The singer and guitarist was extremely dutiful in keeping everyone engaged; remaining subject to a chair and laying low wasn’t an option for Grohl, who moved up and down the catwalk throughout the night on his Game of Thrones-esque seat.

The marathon show began at full speed, starting with “All My Life,” “Times Like These,” and “Learn To Fly.” The show turned into a massive singalong for the anthemic “Best of You,” from 2005’s In Your Honor. Even toward the end, without any prompting, the crowd kept it up.

And then the parade of special guests began. Jack Black, who is perhaps the only person who could rival Grohl’s headbanging prowess, came out for a cover of Rush’s “Tom Sawyer,” sprinting across the stage with such fervor that it seemed like he was doing the running for both himself and the injured frontman.

Then Grohl brought out HAIM, his family’s “new babysitters” (“I hope my Valley girls someday turn into these three Valley girls”), to play “Stop Draggin’ My Heart,” Stevie Nicks appeared from the wings and dominated both that song and a heavily rocked-out version of Fleetwood Mac’s “Gold Dust Woman.”

It would seem like a difficult moment to top. “Do you want to hear another Foo Fighters song?” Grohl asked. The crowd roared for more as the band leaned into “Everlong,” their own greatest hit that’s the same age now that “Gold Dust Woman” was when it was released in 1997. Maybe sometimes nice guys do finish first. FL