Foo Fighters’ deliver roaring thunder
It’s 8.45pm and there is a static din that settles over Cape Town stadium as the masses settle in and the anticipation starts to mount.
Thirty minutes pass since the vibrant Kaiser Chiefs superbly warm the stage and now it’s cooling down rapidly as the excitement escalates for the main act.
Then, almost without warning Dave Grohl besieges the stage and the band flies straight into the first song of the evenings set list. All My Life thunders out above the crowd like a concussive blast. The stadium roars back with excitement as Dave sprints down the stage ramp into the crowd, smiling from ear to ear as he performs, in the whimsical spirit that all fans love about him. We have been waiting “All our lives” to experience this colossal yet humble band and they mirrored this knowingly. With a salvo of favourites that span back nearly two decades we were in for a nostalgic ride.
During the bridge of My Hero, Taylor Hawkins slips into a furious drum solo pounding the drums like animal straight out of Sesame Street. His facial expressions beaming on the huge screens are equally hilarious as they are intoxicating.
Dave deftly addresses the crowd: “Here’s the deal – we’ve never played here before and we have 20 years of making up to do,” the crowd thunderously concurs.
“It’s going to be a loooooong f@#*ing night, all right? We don’t do that sh*t where we walk off stage and pretend that we’re not coming back. We’re going to play until we can’t f@#*ing play anymore, all right?!”
This whips the spellbound crowd into an orchestra of roars. “So I hope you don’t mind. But we’re gonna play some old shit, we’re gonna play some new shit, we’re gonna play some shit you’ve never heard us play before! Because this is it! What do you think about that?!!” If the crowd was an orchestra of roars before, it now erupted.
Effortlessly the Foo Fighters deliver on their promise. Spoiling our battered bodies and worn out feet to a relentless three hour set, every single moment incredible and awe filled.
Some unexpected but most welcomed surprises were experienced as the night progressed. My personal favourite being the cover of the Queen’s Under Pressure and a superb rendition of Tom Petty and the Heartbreaker’s Breakdown.
Closing with Everlong – the crowd musters up their last ounce of energy as they time travel back to the 90’s, and soak up ever last bit of music in the air.
In closing, Foo Fighters was honestly one of the greatest shows I’ve ever had the pleasure of experiencing. Big Concerts handled and executed the event flawlessly and I was very impressed with the events proceedings. My only word of advice for future events is to invest in Golden circle tickets when attending gigs at Cape Town stadium, acoustically – it’s the best place to be.
Check out our full gallery by Jean-Pierre Allers here.
