If Dave Grohl, lead singer of the Foo Fighters, says it is going to be a long night — believe him.
Last Friday night, the rock band played to thousands at Fresno’s Save Mart Center for over three hours straight on the band’s “Concrete and Gold” tour.
The show began at 7:30 p.m. with English rock band The Struts, which had high energy and brought the crowd of those who showed up early to its feet.
At one point, Luke Spiller, vocalist for The Struts, said he was aware many in the audience were not there to see them, but he thanked the crowd for showing up early anyway and for supporting them.
At 8:50 p.m., the Foo Fighters took the stage. Right off the bat, the band had the crowd on its feet, head banging and singing along to every song.
Grohl gave fair warning to the crowd that it was going to be a long night, which made perfect sense considering the long list of songs the band has released over the past 22 years.
Over the three hours, the band did a good job of playing songs from throughout their career, making sure to satisfy both old and new fans.
“I’m sorry it took us 22 years to come here,” Grohl said before playing a number of encore songs.
A few highlights of the night:
- Grohl asking what day it was, then proceeding to sing a line of Rebecca Black’s “Friday.”
- The crowd singing along to “My Hero.”
- Grohl asking the crowd when the last time the Foo Fighters played Fresno was, and him not believing it: “Are you [expletive] serious right now? Whoops. Sorry.”
- At one point, the stage lights went dark, so the crowd turned on phone flashlights to light up the room and the band.
- Drummer Taylor Hawkins and Grohl switching roles, and bringing out Spiller to do a cover of “Under Pressure” by Queen.
- The tribute to Tom Petty with a cover of “Breakdown.”
The Foo Fighters played until just past midnight, and managed to keep the crowd engaged the entire time. That in itself is a testament to the band and its music.
Here’s to hoping Fresno won’t have to wait another 22 years for the Foo Fighters to be back in town.
