HEAD HERE FOR ALL THE PHOTOS OF THE FOOS RAISING THE ROOF IN BRISBANE.

Invited to tour this great land by Dave Grohl (touting her as “the best f*&king guitar player on the planet”) diminutive New Yorker Kaki King opens tonight’s proceedings with a short set of tremendous guitar sounds. As the crowd files in they are greeted by atmospheric ambient post-rock delight. The tones reverberate as though played under water – think Explosions in the Sky with the darker edge of Mogwai and you’re a little close, but there seems to be something more. And there is.

Kaki swaps instruments to an electric acoustic and performs the most dexterous fret hammering this reviewer has ever seen. Forget Angus Young’s work on Thunderstruck – this is serious artistry. A flurry of fingers and thumbs, the tempo rises. It’s a flamenco dream. The crowd becomes vocal with its appreciation and Kaki thanks us all for not being like the “bogans in Adelaide”. Changing instruments again, a slide is produced and this revelation of a performer knocks out Gay Sons of Lesbian Mothers, a track that starts off with picking as intricate and delightful as dewdrops on sunflower petals in the morning sun – only to develop into a looped masterpiece of dark melody and bass that builds layer upon layer upon layer. Astounding. Awesome. Seek her work out -you will not be disappointed.

There’s a very quick change-over and second support The Mess Hall swagger onto the stage, Jed unceremoniously gives the finger to a heckling punter and retorting an unheard jibe with very loud, “I love ya mum, c*nt.” If they were missing any attitude and grunt at Saturday night’s gig at The Zoo, the boys certainly make up for it tonight. Jed kicks around the stage, thrashing and screeching while Cec is a blur of black fro and light-sabre arms. It’s big, it’s noisy, it’s only five tracks ( Lorelei, Pills, Pulse, Metal & Hair, Keep Walking ) and there’s a couple of rough moments, but it’s The Mess Hall at their unkempt bluesy best.

Surveying the landscape as the roadies started to load the Foo Fighters’ gear onto the stage, it’s evident this is going to be a big show. There is a huge bank of amplifier heads along the wall next to stage left. Four large video screens form the backdrop, the stage is extended both left and right and a catwalk peninsula juts from the middle of the stage to the centre of the arena ending in a large circle that will surely provide us with an “in the round” experience later in the night.

When the lights dim it’s the intro to Let It Die that can be heard as the gloom brightens to blue. The crowd erupts, as tonight’s seven band members launch onto the stage. The sound explodes even further when Dave Grohl runs out to greet all comers from one corner of the stage to the other and right out into the crowd pressed up against the catwalk. Guitar swinging over his shoulder, he encourages crowd participation from the outset, raising his arms to each section of the capacity BEC audience getting them to follow suit. This is repeated throughout the night, a grunge-king’s version of Simon Says. Grohl’s movements & facial contortions say, “GET UP and put your hands in the air motherf**kers!” and all are compelled to comply. Tonight isn’t just about the music, it’s the whole rock n roll circus, and Grohl is the ringmaster.

With the last scream from Let It Die still ringing, the Foos belt straight into Echoes’ first single The Pretender. The video screens come alive, bathing the growing mosh below in flashes of red and blue. Grohl doesn’t do all of the singing – leaving it up to the crowd to give voice to the chorus, joining back in again for the requisite vocal theatrics that threaten to burst eardrums. Guest band members leave the stage, and the four core FF’s calm it down just a little with a searing Times Like These. All of a sudden it’s the mid ‘90s again, there’s excruciatingly loud guitar, thumping drums, frenetic action all over, above and in front of the stage and heads banging in time as long hair cascades over fret boards and skins.

Turning the volume back up to 15, Breakout shakes the venue, the crowd again singing the chorus on the FF’s behalf. Grown men who look like they’ve dressed for a day at the cricket thrash and jump around as though being electrocuted, threatening to knee cap their seated fellow punters in the back of the head. Meanwhile, girls clamber up on to shoulders to expose their breasts to the still cold air conditioning.

“Congratulations on your tits young lady. Every woman has them, and I’ve seen them before,” says Grohl, taking his first chance to speak with the audience. “13 years worth of music, we’ll play old shit, new shit and in between shit. It’s gonna be a long night bitches!” as they almost take the roof off with Learn To Fly.

Returning to the new album Cheer Up, Boys (Your Makeup’s Run) is delivered with more head-banging and hair shaking. Running full throttle down the middle catwalk Grohl continues to play guitar, kicking into This is a Call. He extends an arm-banded wrist, saluting his fans and extends the bridge out to a four-minute blues solo, moving back to the main stage and prowling from the extreme left to extreme right of the stage. Tonight he is a guitar hero.

Walking back down the catwalk, Grohl tosses water on the crowd then high octave turns into high octane as the chainsaw drawl of Stacked Actors brings more of the seated crowd to its feet. The background video screens become really interesting as well. Each has a different view of Taylor Hawkins thumping the bejeezus out of his drums. This indicates there is any number of cameras all over the stage capturing different angles and giving an insight into just how hard these guys are working. It’s especially evident when Hawkins launches into a drum solo that, just when you think it’s over, twice he comes back with a rumble so fast and hard it shakes your heart in your chest. All up Stacked Actors was jammed out for about 10 minutes. 10 minutes of pure FF gold.

There’s a brief hiatus as another drum kit and percussion rack is lowered onto the stage in the middle of the room and the crowd migrates from the front stage. Grohl wanders along the catwalk, followed by his band, including guests Jessy Green on violin and ( Nirvana guitarist near the end of their reign) Pat Smear on guitar. “Now we’re at this part of the show,” says Grohl, “I like this part of the show, I get to see you motherf**kers up close.” An acoustic guitar in hand, it becomes decidedly lo-fi. The acoustic treatment is given to Skin and Bones, Nirvana b-side/Foo Fighter reprise ( Colored Pictures of a ) Marigold and My Hero, which becomes an anthem as all of the house lights are turned up so the band can see everybody singing along.

A personal highlight was seeing Taylor Hawkins receive a big crowd response when performing his track from In Your Honor, Cold Day in the Sun. He slammed it out, never missing a beat or a note, his vocal talent shining through and cementing thoughts that this certainly is not a one-man-band.

Still on the middle stage and stripping it back even further, Grohl performs Echoes’, But Honestly by himself on acoustic guitar. It’s beautiful. Like a Rubens nude, it’s the imperfections that make it real – give it humanity and grace. This is what made this performance so darn special. It will stay in the mind’s ear and eye for years to come.

Taking a minute to speak to the crowd, Grohl gives the full introduction to the next track, the emotion of what it means to him crackling through his voice. Regaling the story of receiving an email about two guys trapped in a mine in Tasmania who asked for water and an iPod with Foo Fighters songs on it to get through the ordeal, he does not take lightly to a misplaced comment from a crowd member, restating just what that news meant to him and how it impacted his life. Inviting Kaki King to join him on stage, the rendering of his Nuevo bluegrass tribute, Ballad for the Beaconsfield Miners, is another highlight, demonstrating the true versatility he has as an artist and humility he has as a man.

Not letting the impetus wane, King leaves the stage and the lo-fi vibe continues as the signature drop D beginnings of Everlong are quietly played on a single instrument. Grohl takes us on a journey with this version of arguably their most famous song, turning it up again in the last verse and chorus, mounting the stacks on the middle stage and throttling the pace up high when joining the rest of the band back on the main stage to again electrify this classic.

Sensing the crowd think this is the end of the set Grohl shouts, “I’m not fucking done yet!” and blasts out with Monkey Wrench – also jammed out for about five minutes. Then it’s straight into All My Life to round out the set and issue us a “thanks for coming out to see us”. The lights don’t go up as the band leave the stage so an encore is assured, but just how many more songs will there be?

All eyes turn to the stage as vision appears on the video screens, tonight’s set list is up for all to see, the camera pans down and we think we’re going to get to see what the encore tracks are, but they’re covered up! The vision changes and we’re greeted by Grohl’s big cheesy grin. He’s having a drink and, no doubt due to the shuddering the constant stamping of thousands of feet was creating, mouths to us, “Do you want more?”. The crowd responds. “How many more?” he asks raising one finger, then another. The crowd goes wild and then Hawkins comes into shot showing a whole hand full of fingers. “What? Five?” Grohl mouths to the camera shaking his head, and showing two fingers. “BOOO!!” says the crowd. Hawkins jumps in again and shows both hands full of fingers “Ten!” Grohl grimaces, showing four fingers as a compromise.

The band returns to the stage to a thunderous reception. “We do have to do this tomorrow night guys!” Grohl says. “Who’s coming tomorrow night?” A few hands go up. “Same set,” he mumbles as their first hit Big Me heads the encore of eight songs: Long Road to Ruin, Generator, DOA, For All the Cows, The One, New Way Home and the appropriate big finish of In Your Honor’s Best of You. It closes a night of anticipation rewarded and expectations met and exceeded over and over again.

Set List and albums

Let It Die – Echoes, Silence Patience & Grace
The Prentender – Echoes, Silence Patience & Grace
Time Like These – One by One
Breakout – There is Nothing Left to Lose
Learn to Fly – There is Nothing Left to Lose
Cheer Up, Boys (Your Makeup’s Run) – Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace
This is a Call – Foo Fighters
Stacked Actors – There is Nothing Left to Lose
Skin & Bones – Five Songs and a Cover
Colored Pictures of a Marigold – Pocketwatch & also as simply ‘Marigold’ B-side from Nirvana’s Heart Shaped Box single
My Hero – The Color & the Shape
Cold Day in the Sun – In Your Honor
But Honestly – Echoes Silence Patience & Grace
Ballad of the Beaconsfield Miners – Echoes Silence Patience & Grace
Everlong – There is Nothing Left to Lose
Monkey Wrench – The Color & the Shape
All My Life – One by One
Big Me – Foo Fighters
Long Road to Ruin – Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace
Generator – There’s Nothing Left to Lose
DOA – In Your Honor
For All the Cows – Foo Fighters
The One – Orange County S/Track & B-side to All My Life
New Way Home – The Color & The Shape
The Best of You – In Your Honor