Dave Grohl walked on stage. He smiled at me. He was ready to rock. I wondered if I was properly prepared for the concert. The same thought and question went through 19,000 minds as Dave strutted around the stage, strumming his guitar, yelling, “are you ready?”. It was a hot summer night last year. I was attending a Foo Fighters concert with Kim at Merriweather Post Pavilion. What happened next was awesome.
Hours of pure energy and passion
Dave played the opening chords of “All My Life”. The band kicked in as the crowd erupted. Next, they played “Learn to Fly” and “The Pretender”. Three classic Foo Fighters songs in a row. We were sitting on the lawn when the concert started. Everyone was standing after that barrage, bouncing to the music. I had not witnessed that kind of energy in a crowd for years. It was something to behold. The only person who was more excited than the audience was Dave. You could tell he was loving every minute of it.
Why I wrote this billboard
I learned a lot from Dave Grohl at that concert. Sure – it is easy to dismiss him as a mear rock star, but that would be a mistake. Dave is a genius at what he does. More importantly, Dave puts his heart and soul into what he loves and people respond to his passion. After the concert, I thought about what made it special. Many reasons came to mind.
The Foo Fighters sound great in concert
I have attended many concerts and can confidently say that some bands are great live, others good, and many are mediocre at best. The Foo Fighters fall into the first group. You can tell that they have played together for years and rehearse on a regular basis. There are few things more disappointing than paying a lot of money for a ticket and the band stinks. The Foo Fighters are probably one of the best live shows I have ever seen – right up there with U2, my favorite live band.
They even played a few cover songs
Typically the Foo Fighters play several songs off their latest album, and pepper in a fair number of their greatest hits during a show. It is an interesting mix of their old and new material. They are also known for playing a few cover songs. Usually, I don’t like it when an established band plays cover tunes. But, the Foo Fighters are different. They do it well. When we saw them, they played “Under Pressure” by Queen. They had the lead singer from their opening act, the Struts, sing Fred Mercury’s part which was spot-on. He sounds like Freddy and even looks like him.
Dave takes risks that others avoid
Dave loves to engage the audience and have fans join him on stage. Many bands would never do that. He seems to love taking this risk. In fact, audience members anticipate their participation as part of the show. One time Dave brought a guy dressed in full Kiss make-up on stage to play the song “Monkey Wrench” with the band. The guy killed it. The video from that performance was a viral hit on YouTube. It is below if you have not seen it. Be warned – Dave cusses a lot in the video.
Dave will drink a beer with his fans
During our show, a young lady held up a sign that said “It is my birthday. I want to shotgun a beer with you.”. Dave saw it and called her on stage. They shotgunned beers together. As you would expect, the crowd went wild afterward. What rock star does that? Dave Grohl does, and his fans love it. Just so it is clear – I am not condoning binge drinking as a positive thing. I am simply pointing out that Dave takes risks that others avoid.
The Foo Fighters play with passion
You can tell that the band enjoys playing live. They bring an energy that fills the venue. It is palatable. Dave tells stories between songs and smiles as they kick into the next one. He is all-in. At times, his no-holds-barred approach to lives shows have cost him. At one concert he fell off the stage and broke his leg. A normal human would have called it quits after the incident. Not Dave Grohl. He had a medic go out on stage with him and hold his leg in place so that they could complete the show, broken leg and all. That act alone takes passion to a whole new level.
If everything could ever feel this real forever
Everlong by the Foo Fighters
If anything could ever be this good again
The only thing I’ll ever ask of you
You’ve got to promise not to stop when I say when
The Foo Fighters do not cancel tours
After that show, many thought the band would cancel the rest of the tour. Dave required major surgery. A normal band would call it quits. Others have canceled tours for lesser reasons. Fans wondered what the Foo Fighters would do. Dave decided to build a chair that he could sit on during the show. They designed it so that he could both play and move around the stage. Gavin and I saw them play in Washington DC on this tour, and they still put on a fantastic show. What rock star plays while sitting on a “mobile throne”. Dave Grohl does. I have never seen anything like it.
Dave is willing to experiment
If you listen to Foo Fighter albums you will notice that each one is different. They continue to evolve their music over time. Dave loves to collaborate with others, and experiment. For the album Wasting Light, they recorded the album in Dave’s garage using “old school” recording equipment. They invited several other artists to contribute like Bob Mould, one of the original members of Husker Du, and Krist Novoselic, the bassist from Nirvana. The results are excellent. It is one of my favorite Foo Fighter albums.
Sonic Highways showcased his creative genius
The Foo Fighters took a big chance with the Sonic Highways project. In 2014 they went on an eight-city musical odyssey. They explored the musical heritage of American cities and wrote a new song with an artist from that area. The whole experiment was recorded and released as an album and a mini-series on HBO. The results were stunning. Both the album and the show are excellent. Well worth your time if you are a fan. I am pretty confident that not many bands could have pulled it off. Even my favorite band, U2, stumbled when they made the movie Rattle and Hum.
How I incorporated this billboard into my life
I walked away from the Foo Fighters show inspired by Dave Grohl. I decided that I would take more risks, play with more passion, and bring more positive energy into the world. At times I am way more reserved than I should be, even lukewarm. That may be okay in some situations, but it should not be my norm. No – I do not live like a rock-star, nor do I act like one. After all, I am not one. Rather, I try to think about how I can take the lessons Dave Grohl taught me that night, and apply them to my own life.
What about you?
Do you possess the positive energy and passion for what you love to do like Dave Grohl? Or are you going through the motions? Are you willing to take risks? You should. I am not saying to do stupid things. Rather I recommend that you don’t play it safe all the time. Lean in, smile at the audience and ask them if they are ready to rock knowing full well that you are.
Play with all your heart for the audience. No one likes lukewarm.
Dad