[usr 5]
It must be quite a memory, witnessingย Dave Grohl ask the crowd to give his new band their time of day. โI know you guys are waiting for the Beastie Boys,โ the frontman is quoted saying,ย โbut let us play a few songs for you.โ
That was January 1996 and the Foo Fighters were performing in Bangkok for the first time on the MTV Alternative Nation tour alongside Sonic Youth and the Beastie Boys.
Two decades rolled by, the band went from having a handful of tunes to strum to carrying a rock god mantle with over 150 songs to curate their setlist. While their grand return Thursday night (Aug 24) couldnโt run on that entire catalogue until 7 oโclock in the morning as Grohl playfully teased, it was more than enough to make up for lost time. โWeโll play as many songs as we can,” he said. “And weโll try to play songs from every record that weโve made, ‘cos weโve made a lot of fucking records.โ
![ff-2](https://asialive365.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/ff-2.jpg)
ยฉJAMM
The result was two and a half hours jam-packed with number ones and fan favourites throughout their long and strong career, served up with kick-ass stage command and even more kick-ass headbangs and extended guitar solos.
A thunderous roar shook the Impact Challenger as the Foo Fighters took the stage and opened with โEverlongโ, usually a designated show-closing anthem. Grohl fought hard not to drown in the music but it took the entire song before the sound quality recovered. A string of hits then followed, to wit โMonkey Wrenchโ, โLearn To Flyโ, โSomething From Nothingโ and โThe Pretenderโ.
![ff-3](https://asialive365.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/ff-3.jpg)
ยฉJAMM
Reminiscence was a recurring theme, and rightly so. During the band introduction Grohl asked bassist Nate Mendel and guitarist Pat Smear what they remembered about Bangkok. Apparently not much else beside โboatsโ and โmosquitosโ, but no one minded. Those who caught the band last time โ or the โold motherfuckers” in Grohlโs words โ were on a high as the foreman dedicated 1995โs โBig Meโ and โIโll Stick Aroundโ to them.
On most nightsย the Foos would pay tribute to their rock heroes in song. Thisย wasn’t the case. Drummer Taylor Hawkins showed off his singing chops in โCold Day In The Sunโ and โSunday Rainโ, a new song off upcoming LPย Concrete and Gold (Sep 15), instead of Queen and Bowieโs โUnder Pressureโ he did a few days prior at Summer Sonic. Other tracks from the album, โRunโ and โThe Sky Is A Neighborhoodโ, were also present for the fiercer parts of the show.
![ff-1](https://asialive365.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/ff-1.jpg)
ยฉJAMM
Other highlights include โSkin and Bonesโ, offered with a jazzy oomph and a final gothic twist as keyboardist Rami Jaffee brought out his accordion; โWheelsโ, a controversial country-rock singalong that proved to be the Bangkok crowdโs favourite; and โGeneratorโ, a surprise treat they hadnโt performed on tour since 2015.
At one point Dace Grohl said as aย segue, โWe played this song in 1996, but it sounds so much better now.โ Hopefully they wonโt need another two decades to โfine-tuneโ their craft (is there such a thing as double scare quotes?). The show was the best version it could possibly be from this band of big playersย known for not sticking to a setlist. And the crowd, who kept onย chanting during “Best Of Foos You”ย in hope to prolong the finale, would agree when I say we want shows like thisย time and time again.