On a warm summer Wednesday in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, the Foo Fighters turned Blossom Music Center into a cathedral of rock. Part of the massive Concrete and Gold Tour supporting their ninth studio album, the show landed at a high-water mark in the summer run — just days removed from back-to-back nights at Fenway Park in Boston, and with Wrigley Field still ahead on the horizon.

British glam-rockers The Struts opened the night, having become a natural touring companion for the Foos throughout the summer leg. By all accounts the two bands had developed a genuine camaraderie on the road, and it showed in how comfortably The Struts warmed up a packed amphitheater.

When the Foo Fighters finally hit the stage, it was the full six-piece lineup: Dave Grohl on guitar and vocals, Taylor Hawkins on drums, Nate Mendel on bass, Chris Shiflett and Pat Smear on guitars, and Rami Jaffee on keyboards. A quartet of backing vocalists — including Grohl's daughter Violet — filled out the sound.

The set opened hard with "All My Life" and rarely let up. Early on, the band moved through a potent stretch of catalog favorites and newer material alike, mixing in tracks from Concrete and Gold alongside road-tested staples like "The Pretender," "My Hero," and "Walk." What made the night special, though, was how loose and generous the band was willing to be with their time on stage.

A lengthy mid-show band introduction segment gave each member a chance to shine. Hawkins unleashed a drum solo that reminded the crowd exactly why he's considered one of the best in the business. Shiflett stepped up to front an Alice Cooper cover, while Hawkins later moved to the mic for "Sunday Rain" before leading the crowd through "Under Pressure" — with Grohl, grinning ear to ear, sliding behind the kit to handle drums on the Queen classic. The setlist also made room for a "Jump"/"Imagine" mashup, a hard-charging take on the Ramones' "Blitzkrieg Bop," and a jammed-out version of Alanis Morissette's "You Oughtta Know" that caught more than a few people off guard in the best possible way.

One of the night's more memorable moments came during "Monkey Wrench," when a fan named Lucas was pulled onstage to play guitar alongside the band — a small but telling detail about the kind of show Grohl likes to run.

The photographs from the evening say the rest. Grohl mid-windmill, guitar up, hair flying and soaked with sweat under the stage lights. The blue Gibson semi-hollow that's become his calling card. The full band sprawled across a stage framed by LED panels and razor-sharp beams of light, doing what they do better than almost anyone.

The set closed with a run of "Dirty Water," "Best of You," "Times Like These," "This Is a Call," and the inevitable, perfect "Everlong" — a song that somehow still feels like a genuine moment every single time it's played.

Close to three hours. Twenty-four songs. One of rock's greatest live acts at full power on a summer night in Ohio.

Foo Fighters' Grohl plays guitar on stage at Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls - Harry Acosta Photography



Full Setlist — July 25, 2018 | Blossom Music Center

  1. All My Life

  2. Learn to Fly

  3. The Pretender

  4. The Sky Is A Neighborhood

  5. Rope

  6. Sunday Rain (Taylor Hawkins on vocals)

  7. My Hero

  8. These Days

  9. Walk

  10. Under My Wheels (Alice Cooper cover, Chris Shiflett on vocals)

  11. Another One Bites the Dust (Queen — jam)

  12. La Dee Da

  13. Jump × Imagine (medley)

  14. Blitzkrieg Bop (Ramones)

  15. You Oughtta Know (Alanis Morissette )

  16. Under Pressure (Queen/Bowie — Taylor Hawkins on vocals, Dave Grohl on drums)

  17. Monkey Wrench (with fan Lucas on guitar from crowd)

  18. Run

  19. Breakout

  20. Dirty Water

  21. Best of You

  22. Times Like These

  23. This Is a Call

  24. Everlong

FOO FIGHTERS
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