Foo Fighters, You Am I, CloudControl, Giants Of Science @The Riverstage, Brisbane(27/03/11)

Wed 30th Mar, 2011 in Gig Reviews

Though not the young guns that some might have expected to see after winning a competition to open the show, local act Giants of Science still put on a noteworthy performance, and with confident frontman Ben Salter (or as he refers to himself, ‘Happy Trails’) they manage to deliver a strong set and also avoids being overcome by the hugeness of today’s event.

On the other hand, Blue Mountain‘s Cloud Control seem a little out of place on the bill, with their fairly run of the mill take on indie-pop coming across as dull as dishwater, and it doesn’t take long into their brief set for a decent chunk of punters to become transfixed by their phones instead of watching the quartet.

Tim Rogers is easily the most rock n roll person in Brisbane tonight, and although the vocalist/guitarist’s voice cracks and breaks on a couple of occasions, five piece You Am I win the title of the first band of the night to coax a large majority of the crowd onto their feet for their performance. Although calling the reaction that the band get anything more than warm would probably be any exaggeration, Rogers’ humorous stage banter and a well received run through of Berlin Chair proves that there is still a lot life in the veteran’s career.

Although no-one really needed to be told this, it’s pretty damn obvious Dave Grohl and the whole Foo Fighters organisation are top blokes to say the least. With the proceeds of tonight’s very well publicised show going to the Premier’s Disaster Relief Appeal, it’s impossible to praise the legendary American rock band enough for going out of their way for a noble cause like this. Kicking their set open with no less than six songs on the run, including undeniable classics All My Life, Times Like These, Learn To Fly and My Hero, the Foo Fighters send the sold out Riverstage crowd into hysterics from the get go. A salvo of the group’s more restrained tunes helps punctuate the set after the opening bombardment, with Long Road To Ruin, Big Me, For All The Cows and the rarely played Up in Arms helps the jam packed mosh pit catch their breath and engage in some nice backup vocal action.

Armed with both hilarious and passionately heartfelt stage banter, Grohl further cements his reputation of being one of the best, if not the best, frontman in modern day rock n roll throughout the show, but it’s drummer Taylor Hawkins who almost manages to steal the show away from perennial grinning band leader. Although he’s no slouch on record, it’s in the live setting that the drum work of Hawkins’ is best appreciated, with his recent Neil Peart influence shining through more and more thanks to the addition of a pair of rack toms to his meagre sized kit. Singing-wise he has also really stood up in last few years as well, and handles lead vocals on Cold Day in the Sun with ease, but his performance is slightly neutered by being a little low in the mix.

The four new songs off the yet to be released Wasting Light album aired tonight are greeted like old favourites, especially the prog rock stylings of Rope and Nick Oliveri-era Queens of the Stone Age styled ferocity of White Limo. There is an air of looseness also running through the night, with a jammed out version of the live favourite Stacked Actors seeming to last for an eternity. They still keep the audience’s focus throughout – while even Grohl snapping a string during the spacey Aurora can’t derail progress.

It’s evidence of their staying power and continued brilliance as songwriters that latter-day songs Best of You and The Pretender are two of the most rabidly received tracks of the night, while the main set closer Everlong is a stone cold classic and perfect crowd sing along. They aptly close with the first track on their debut record, This Is A Call, and though it might not be the thirty eight song set they play at Goat Island, the two hour plus show put on by the Foo Fighter’s tonight is a borderline religious experience for the near 10,000 at the Riverstage. An amazing show for an equally special and important reason.