Sonic highways
Of the four concerts I booked for this year, this evening was the one that I looked forward to the most. I went to see the Foo Fighters at Citi Field and I enjoyed every minute of the nearly three hour show.
My quest to see the Foo Fighters in concert begins four years ago, during the Wasting Light tour. I tried to get a ticket for their performance as part of the Live on Letterman series the week the album came out didn’t succeed. Later in the year, the tour dates were announced and there was a date for the Izod Center but as I didn’t have the money, I didn’t go. By the time the tour came back to NYC in November, the show at MSG sold out. I was resolved that on the next tour that I would make this happen.
We move three years to last December. As luck would have it, the presale for the July 16th show went on sale on my birthday. Problem was, I was at a World Aids Day celebration and had no access to a computer. I asked my sister to help me get a ticket. My sister, my hero came through for me as I found a ticket receipt in my email upon returning to the office from the Apollo Theater and it made my day. It was a really good seat at field level, not many heads to get in the way. She made the purchase and I paid her back.
I knew that this day would come. I had to get through all the turmoil on both sides of life and concerts by Jack White and Rush which I enjoyed both performances first. With the work day and work week in the rear view mirror, I made my way to Citi Field just as the doors opened. I had enough time to settle in and admire a perfect summer day before Royal Blood opened the show at 7PM. Think of Royal Blood as a minimalist version of Queens of the Stone Age given the only instruments played were bass and drums. That didn’t stop Ben and Michael from giving their debut album the thunderous treatment it deserves. This was especially true during set closer “Out of the Black” that used Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man” for the outro. As their set finished, a black and red curtain with the letters FF went up.
As footage of their show for HBO aired, the anticipation was palpable. At about 8:30 PM, the curtain rose and the band wasted no time launching into “Everlong” and “Monkey Wrench”. That high level of energy would be kept up through the entire show. During “Big Me”, Dave explained the nature of his leg injury and the throne he sat on for most of the night. He would sit on a chair for acoustic renditions of “My Hero” and “Times Like These”. During the band introductions, pieces of “Detroit Rock City”, “Jailbreak” and “School’s Out” were played as a medley. Two more covers of David Bowie & Queen’s “Under Pressure” and Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers “Breakdown” would follow later in the set There was also a surprise in store in the form of a childhood fantasy, Dave got to play two songs , “How Low Can a Punk Band Get” and “The Regulator” with members of the band he idolized, Bad Brains. The night came to its end with a stirring rendition of “Best of You”. The o, oh, ooohs could be heard all around the stadium as everyone sung loud and clear. I was hoarse from singing along with every word, exhausted and overjoyed at the same time. It was totally worth the effort and money to be there tonight. I want to thank my sister for coming through for me as always! There’s one more concert left this year, The Who Hits 50 at MSG on October 27th. As of now, I can say that this is my favorite concert this year , and this is not an easy thing to say given that I saw Rush two weeks ago at MSG and was blown away for a second time in three weeks. Tonight was an awesome rock and roll show!
