“It's times like these, you learn to live again…” Given how many songs they’ve got about picking yourself back up after being knocked down, it shouldn't be surprising that Foo Fighters have rallied and rebuilt after circumstances that could have derailed a lesser band. The March 2022 passing of much-loved drummer Taylor Hawkins devastated the rock world, but also left internal scars that could clearly be seen when the band hosted their celebratory tribute shows in London and Los Angeles in September that same year.
But where those shows were marked with emotional fragility, the Everything Or Nothing At All tour sees Dave Grohl's band fired up and playing as if they've got something to prove. With Josh Freese behind the kit now, the Los Angeles-based collective kick off their tour-closing show at Villa Park tackling All My Life, No Son Of Mine, Rescued and The Pretender with explosive energy, Grohl shrieking with joyous abandon that grows even more excitable as a late evening downpour causes a rainbow to form overhead during Breakout.
After the all-star performances at Wembley in September 2022, the Foos have apparently decided that not only will they fill their sets with an astonishing array of their own hits and choice cuts, but they'll also chuck an array of covers into the mix, too. No Son Of Mine is cut with cheeky snippets of Paranoid and Enter Sandman, while a crowd emergency at the start of Walk prompts Grohl to start playing Stairway To Heaven, the crowd singing the whole first verse.
The hits just keep coming, too: Times Like These regains some of the triumphant edge after its more emotional renditions in recent years, while My Hero is turned into a piano ballad/rock anthem hybrid. But the best is yet to come.
"This is the final night of our UK tour and we like to do something special for those final shows," Grohl tells the crowd. "This guy grew up a couple of streets away from here, and has never seen a show here, let alone played one... Let me introduce, Geezer Butler!"
The cheers as Black Sabbath's bassist ambles onstage are thunderous and Grohl clearly has the time of his life doing his best Ozzy Osbourne impression for the ensuing cover of Paranoid, bouncing on the microphone and generally showing himself as the dyed-in-the-wool rock'n'roll superfan he's always been.
At its heart, that sense of a shared love for rock fandom is a key to the magic of a Foo Fighters show in 2024. Balancing big hits with fan favourites and new material keeps the set feeling fresh and vibrant, more recent songs such as The Sky Is A Neighborhood and Rescued fitting in seamlessly. An acoustic trilogy of Skin And Bones, Big Me and Under You offers a brief respite from the bells-and-whistles trappings of enormodome rock, but even in their indulgences Foo Fighters remain remarkably liberated.
The main set ends with Best Of You, the melodic stadium-wide sing-along continuing long after the band leave the stage. It's testament to the night's electric atmosphere that even when the band come back on with 10-minute album cut The Teacher, Grohl's tribute to his late mother, the crowd still respond rapturously, setting up a colossal closing one-two that includes a guest appearance from Taylor Hawkins' son Shane behind the kit on This Is A Call and an utterly enthralling Everlong, the stadium lighting up as the night's closing song hits its crescendo.
Amidst such joyous scenes, it feels like the band have truly turned a corner. At this point, Foo Fighters aren't just putting on a show, they're putting on the biggest rock'n'roll celebration on the planet, a three-hour, 27-song masterclass that truly sets a standard all rock bands should aspire to.
Foo Fighters Setlist Villa Park June 28 2024
All My Life
No Son Of Mine
Rescued
The Pretender
Walk
Stairway To Heaven
Times Like These
Generator
La Dee Da
Breakout
Covers Medley (Eruption/Sabotage/Blitzkrieg Bop/Whip It/March Of The Pigs)
My Hero
The Sky Is A Neighborhood
Learn To Fly
Arlandria
These Days
Paranoid (w/ Geezer Butler)
Skin And Bones
Big Me
Under You
Nothing At All
Monkey Wrench
Aurora
Best Of You
The Teacher
This Is A Call
Everlong
