This was a blog/review previously entered in September. I'm actually going to see Foo Fighters again tonight with a different batch of opening acts. This has promise to be an even better night, but for now...take a walk back to September
As promised (though no one asked), my post/blog/thoughts from the show. Pictures are lacking because of the lighting set up for the venue. ligthing for the Foo Fighters set was excellent & brilliantly timed to the music but my camera phone wasn't able to catch clear images of much of anything.
This adventure of epic concertness included some of my close friends. We've been drifting apart a bit due to our own life things but this was our first night out in a few months. The car ride to the venue involved mocking most of our fashion choices & the males questioning their sexual orientation. Childish, perhaps but again we don't get out much. Quickest car ride to New Jersey I have ever had and I'm convinced my best friend is like Sheldon from Big Bang Theory. If you don't know the character, please watch some episodes.
We ended up at the venue much earlier then anyone anticipated and ended up at our seats around 7:30pm. I took some notes as the show went on.
The very first act was called Mariachi El Bronx. I only know what their name was because setlist.fm informed me that this group played with Rise Against & Foo Fighters at Izod. The actual band made no mention of their name at all, the only name they did reference towards the end of their set was Bouncing Souls and they were NOT bouncing souls. The actual band felt like a cross between Mariachi and Punk Rock, was not my cup of tea and the sound quality seemed poor. Some bands were not meant for arena tours. As a long time concert goer, you just feel when some bands would be better off at tiny club shows where others can command a stage in front of thousands.
While they were on the mediocre side of life, the next two bands did not disappoint at all. Additionally in between stage changes, new puscifer tracks were being played which beats Irving Plaza beating the Chicken dance to the ground.
Rise Against put on a very good live show. Most of the songs played were off The Sufferer & The Witness which is their album I'm most familiar with. My friends and I went into the venue expecting to be disappointed by them but they were able to perform all their songs and also be energetic throughout the stage. Mini Sheldon & I agreed, we should've caught them when Bad Religion opened for them earlier this year. (Live & learn)
http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/rise-against/2011/izod-center-east-rutherford-nj-23d00ce7.html
Finally Foo Fighters! Dave Grohl declared they have such a large array of songs to choose from that there would be no way they could only play for 90 minutes. Furthermore, New Jersey was the last leg of the summer shows & the largest venue they have played as a headliner so we would be going beyond the average 2 hour performance. During the Rise Against set I was internally lamenting about how things have changed since I was a kid, the GA (general admission) area started so far away from the stage that there would be no chance of you shaking your favorite artists hand. I understand as an adult why security has changed, but nevertheless the fangirl lamented for all the fangirls down below. Once the Foo Fighters were into their set, Dave Grohl ran off stage & there was a center aisle throughout the pit clear for him to run & high five fans as he saw fit. On a few occasions during the show he would run out to the crowd which made up for previous "wow that's lame" feelings. The show contained a nice assortment of classics & new songs. The highlight of the evening was Dave Grohl bringing Kris Novoselic on stage to play accordion on These Days. He announced before the song started that it was the first time they had played together onstage in many years and dedicated the song to Kurt. I would've liked to hear the accordion clearer but it was still an excellent performance & a bit tearjerking(or I'm overly sentimental, it's anyones guess). The band played for 2 hours & took a break before the encore. Encores started with Dave Grohl on a mini stage on the other side of the venue with just an acoustic guitar. He played 2 and a half songs from that point, just him, the microphone, & guitar. It is a wonderful thing to watch someone be able to command an arena, he had every single person there; man, woman, and child were hanging on his words & lyrics. I'm glad that I get to see bands with that level of comradery and mutual love & respect for each other. I am excited to bring my significant other to their upcoming show in New York City (Madison Square Garden to be precise) and I couldn't recommend checking them out more.
http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/foo-fighters/2011/izod-center-east-rutherford-nj-3bd00ce4.html
