Music review: Foo Fighters, Bellahouston Park, Glasgow

“You know why we came back?! We came back to play rock and roll! Are you ready for rock and roll?!” And the crowd went wild. Dave Grohl, aka the Nicest Man in Rock ™, is really, really good at his job. For over two hours of non-stop screaming cabaret, this promiscuous user of a certain 12-letter profanity had his fans in a friendly headlock. He’s a born entertainer, an indefatigable pro.
Foo Fighters PIC: Gareth Cattermole/Getty ImagesFoo Fighters PIC: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images
Foo Fighters PIC: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images

Music review: Foo Fighters, Bellahouston Park, Glasgow ****

Full disclosure: I’ve always been indifferent towards the hardest working band in showbiz. I neither like nor dislike them. They’ve always just been “there” for the last 25 years. Having now seen them work their masses-pleasing rock magic in the flesh, I understand why they’ve been so successful. They put on a great show indebted to the likes of Queen, Kiss, AC/DC, Slade and Springsteen. Foo Fighters have learned from the best (and Kiss).

They’ve assimilated all the arena rock clichés – call and response singalongs, absurdly protracted song endings, drum solos – and repackaged them with an affectionately knowing wink. They’re not a joke band, but they get the joke.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Tonight they played all the hits – Monkey Wrench, My Hero, Learn to Fly and the power pop dazzler Times Like These – plus a charmingly ragged cover of Queen/Bowie’s Under Pressure. The gig was so loud it could be heard all over the West End of Glasgow, essentially giving people a free concert whether they wanted it or not. Grohl’s gang are immune to failure. Paul Whitelaw

Related topics: