Foo Fighters deliver special performance at exclusive iHeartRadio Theater LA gig

Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for iHeartMedia

If there’s any American rock ‘n’ roll band that deserves the red carpet treatment, it is the Foo Fighters.

That is exactly the feel their St. Patrick’s Day show achieved on Tuesday night at the iHeartRadio Theater LA — or “just down the street” as Grohl put it midway through their rocking set.

Mixing in songs from their latest release Sonic Highways along with some old classics, Grohl and his band first spoke to Chelsea Handler in a 10-minute interview. Handler kept responding to people shouting out from the crowd, perhaps a little too used to her standup work where that is common place.

Some people in the crowd could barely contain themselves at being 10 or 15 feet away from one of the defining American rock bands of the last decade. Perhaps still sparking momentum from their wild and unforgettable Forum gig in January for Grohl’s birthday, the iHeartRadio Theater played a perfect host for their arena-rock sound — despite being a venue built for a capacity in the hundreds (which fans were thrilled by the intimacy).

The band kicked things off with “All My Life,” the lead single from their fourth album One by One that would have fit perfectly on their latest offering. In and out Grohl weaved in songs from Sonic Highways, the only album in history that was accompanied by an HBO docuseries (that is a must-watch even if you have to “borrow” a friend’s HBOGO password).

Photo: Joseph Llane

“Congregation” was the first of the newer Foo songs to be played. “Something from Nothing,” which served as the theme to the Sonic Highways series on HBO, came later. But it was the nostalgic songs that the Foos played that turned into giant sing-a-longs at the behest of Grohl.

“My Hero,” “Best of You,” and the set-closing “Everlong” were priceless to be hit with in such an intimate setting that was built for sound quality of the highest order. The stage setup made you feel as though you were at a sweet house party with some awesome lighting. Drummer Taylor Hawkins shined up at the top of the stage, elevated from the rest of the group.

During one part of the performance, Grohl walked over to stage left and waved at someone’s toddler daughter. She waved back and jumped up and down in what will go down as one of the most adorable moments in the history of rock ‘n’ roll.

It’s crazy to recognize the fact that Sonic Highways was the eighth studio album by the Foo Fighters. It was widely circulated that Dave Grohl came close to accepting a job as the drummer for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers when Nirvana ended.

“I was supposed to just join another band and be a drummer the rest of my life,” Grohl later said. “I thought that I would rather do what no one expected me to do. I enjoy writing music and I enjoy trying to sing, and there’s nothing anyone can really do to discourage me” (source: Wikipedia).

Thank goodness you went this route, Dave Grohl. Rock ‘n’ roll thanks you.

Words: Mark E. Ortega

Photo: Joseph Llane