Foo Fighters - London Wembley Arena, 23/11/2002

  by Charles Howarth

published: 20 / 11 / 2002

intro

Special guest reviewer Charles Howarth finds at London Wembley Arena that the Foo Fighters' frontman Dave Grohl showing "once and for all that he has moved out of Kurt Cobain’s shadow as the youthful drummer in Nirvana"

The large expanse of Wembley Arena was brimming with noise as the crowd waited in anticipation for the emergence of the Foo Fighters. Every movement of the sound technicians across the stage was greeted with cheers and screams, but before the crowd could be appeased by the arrival of the band they had all come to see they were treated to Dave Grohl’s new favourite band, Cave In. Cave In played a generally good set, which included a number of excellent songs. Unfortunately the crowd were mostly unaware of them, but despite this the majority appreciated them, especially for their more melodic tunes. Finishing with a Led Zeppelin cover, the Boston based band left the stage proving that they did have some stadium potential, even if a smaller venue would better suit them. The Foo Fighters arrived amidst huge clamour, playing their new single 'One by One, the title track of their fourth album, as a opening number while silhouetted behind a curtain. This was met with a very warm reception and showed their confidence in the new material. As Dave Grohl stepped out from behind the falling curtain, it would be fair to say that he showed once and for all that he has moved out of Kurt Cobain’s shadow as the youthful drummer in Nirvana, and become a stand alone rock star in his own right. The Foos played a vibrant and intense set, showing their intent for the evening by barely pausing for breath between numbers of songs. Despite this a couple of the tracks from 'One by One' showed a more mellow and reflective side. This highlighted a movement away from the pop rock of previous album 'There Is Nothing Left To Lose', towards a new sound, somewhere between their heavier first two albums, 'Foo Fighters' and 'The Colour and the Shape' and the third. Still it was the older material that really brought the house down. 'Learn To Fly' was wildly supported, in typical Foo Fighter’s fashion with the raising of lighters across the arena, which bathed the venue in small balls of light. My own personal favourite, the classic 'Monkey Wrench' received the greatest cheers of the evening, and showed the depth of the Foos back catalogue. The evening was a great success, and Dave Grohl’s own words summed it up perfectly, “it's great you're all here, but I'm surprised there’s so many of you,” show that even they are astonished by their own achievements, but also how far they have come.

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