The Foo Fighters in Fine Form at the Forum

It's hard to believe that at one point in time, Dave Grohl was "just 'the drummer". Back in the heady days of Nirvana, Grohl willingly took a back seat to the greater good of the band, squirrelling away songs of his own so as to not mess with the winning dynamic of the legendary group. We all know how that turned out, and when Grohl started the Foo Fighters in 1995, many wrote it off as a go nowhere experiment.

How times have changed. Coming off their 2008 Grammy wins for Best Hard Rock Performance (The Pretender) and Best Rock album, (Echos, Silence, Patience & Grace), the band sold out the legendary Great Western Forum in Los Angeles, scene of some of the most seminal moments in rock and roll. Selling out two nights is no small accomplishment, but it is just one of many the Foo Fighters have racked up in the last decade or so.
Grohl, who is from Virginia, never the less welcomed the Los Angeles crowd and happily exclaimed the show as the bands "hometown gig'. At one point in the show, Grohl and crew remembered going to concerts at the Inglewood arena. Lots of memories were made back in the day, but with the opening of Staples Center in 1999, concerts at the Forum have been a thing of the past. Leave it to the Foos to embrace the old school values and rock the place as it always meant to be rocked.

I am always fascinated by the crowd at any show, and this crowd was no exception. Ten year olds, punks with Mohawks, young cool looking hipsters, soccer moms and hippies old and new, all came together in an unabashedly heart warming show of the power of music as a unifying element.

The Foos consistently put out Grade A rock and roll and the mid week show was no exception as Grohl proves his capabilities as the ultimate showman and musician. Running the catwalk with guitar over head, bopping to his own guitar licks and growling into the microphone, he is a true performer. The cool thing about him is that unlike his former band mate, he loves and embraces his inner rock star. He performs with a gusto and joy that is very apparent even to those sitting in the cheap seats at the Forum.
The 2008 Tour has Grohl enlisting a great class of musicians including keyboardist Rami Jaffee (The Wallflowers), guitarist Chris Shiflett (No Use For a Name, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes), legendary guitarist Pat Smear (The Germs, Nirvana touring guitarist), cellist/fiddler Jessie Greene (solo trip hop artist), bassist Nate Mendel (Sunny Day Real Estate), percussionist Drew Hester (Jewel, Joe Walsh) and drummer Taylor Hawkins (Coheed and Cambria, Alanis Morrissette).

Highlights of the show included a rousing rendition of "My Hero" with the crowd joining in and singing every world. At one point the band formed on a small round stage that was lowered on to the back of the floor immersing the band into the standing room audience. Here the Foos played a passionate version of "Marigold". The six song set on the small stage was flawless and allowed Grohl to connect with the audience in a way that is often difficult at big arena shows. He pulled it off however and then it was back to the big stage and more rousing head banging rock.
The night continued at a high speed pace and finally approaching midnight and with an encore still expected, Police drummer Stewart Copeland made a surprise appearance on drums while the band performed the Police classic, "Next to You".

By the end of the night Grohl asked the audience if they're throats were raw. "Mine is, I've been screaming my ass off all night!". Well, more than that as Grohl knows when to scream, when to growl and when to use his incredible voice.
Finally after the encore it was time to say goodbye. Grohl wished the audience well and to hoped they had fun. "I did!' Grohl announced. I think we all did Dave and thanks for that!