Foo Fighters' second night at Anfield was packed with spine-tingling, unforgettable moments
Foo Fighters have just completed two dates at Liverpool's Anfield stadium
Foo Fighters have just completed two dates at Liverpool's Anfield stadium(Image: Andi K Taylor)
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It's a moment of pure magic. Thousands of voices carrying into the night as the crowd sings the refrain from Best of You. It's still warm in Anfield stadium but in that instant I've got goosebumps. For the second time in just 48 hours the Foo Fighters took to the stage in Liverpool in the dying heat of another scorching day.
Merseyside's amber weather warning may have lifted, but it's still baking when front man Dave Grohl races down the ramp to greet the thousands of fans packed into Anfield on Saturday night.
Appearing through the haze of red smoke lazily drifting from the stage's rafters the singer declared: "Are you ready? Are you f***ing ready? Do you want to dance? Come on!"
It's impossible not to be swept along by Grohl's infectious energy, as the band launches into All My Life. Six months deep into their Take Cover tour, the Foo Fighters are playing just two UK dates - both at Anfield.
Having declared the shows to be "the cocktail party before the big dinner", they hit the ground running, smashing through some of their biggest numbers in the show's opening minutes.
All My Life sends the crowd into a frenzy, a sea of arms waving on the pitch as the fans are instantly hooked. With barely a pause for air they blister through The Pretender, Times Like These, Rope and Breakout.
But they're just getting warmed up for what would become a mammoth three-hour set that flew by in a whirlwind of heavy guitar riffs and rock anthems.
Dave Grohl's infectious energy carried the crowd through two incredible three hour sets at Anfield
Dave Grohl's infectious energy carried the crowd through two incredible three hour sets at Anfield(Image: Andi K Taylor)
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Grohl later explains: "Just so you know, if you're wondering why we play song after song after song after song, it's because we have too many songs. We can't play all the songs, you want to hear all the songs. So we play as many as we can in a row."
One of the first big chills of the evening comes during My Hero, the entire stadium carrying the song as the band, in silence, watch from the stage in awe.
There's a loving nod to the late, great Lemmy, as the gritty No Son of Mine is blended with Motorhead's Ace of Spades, and a more "intimate" acoustic set played from a B-Stage at the end of the ramp.
Wheels gets the crowd singing again, and then they play Marigold - a track Grohl wrote in the early 90s. For me it's a bucket list moment, having loved that song since I first heard it on the B-Side of Nirvana's Heart-Shaped Box.
Big Me is next, and one fan has come prepared, dressed as a giant packet of Mentos. Dave spots him and invites him onto the stage, warning him: "You've got to dance for the f***ing audience." And dance he does, the crowd loving every second, even when he gets a little too close to the singer who joking tells him "don't touch!"
He even proves he can hold a tune, impressively belting out the end of the song alongside the legendary frontman. After posing for a selfie with him, Grohl laughingly says "get the f*** off my stage", before adding "when s*** like this happens, that means this is the night of our lives, so thank you."
Marigold is not the only deep cut of the evening, as we're treated to songs from band members' early days before joining the Foos. If you'd told me I'd ever hear the Germs' Manimal being played in front of 60,000 people, I'd have told you you were mad. But that's exactly what "cool as f**" Pat Smear did, much to my delight.
The crowd gets a screaming lesson for Monkey Wrench, as we're encouraged to scream as loud as we can before Grohl gives us a masterclass, his image on the giant screens vibrating to give it extra umph.
Dedicating Aurora to Taylor Hawkins, Anfield becomes a sea of light as phones are waved in the air, and then Best of You brings the show to a spine-tingling end.
"I'm going to be real with you," Dave tells the crowd, "I wish every day was exactly like this.
"You guys are so f***ing awesome. Thank you so much. But I kind of have a feeling that it's just this place and these people. I don't think anywhere else is like this. I think it means we might need to come back. I've got a plan."
Both Foo Fighters gigs came to an explosive end as fireworks filled the night sky
Both Foo Fighters gigs came to an explosive end as fireworks filled the night sky(Image: Andi K Taylor)
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The band leaves the stage momentarily, the stadium alive with singing as if trying to entice them to return. It doesn't take long, and we're finally into the home stretch.
The Teacher is dedicated to Dave's mum Virginia Grohl, and the pace continues to slow with Unconditional. Earlier in the evening Grohl had declared that "everything I learned about rock and roll came from this city", so it's fitting they then play a Beatles track - I Want You (She's So Heavy) - the first time the Foos have ever played it live.
Then, after a cutdown version of Exhausted, they launch into Everlong, incredibly ending the show with the same energy it started. The sun well and truly set, the stage is aglow in the darkness.
And in true stadium rock style, the song comes to an explosive end as fireworks light up the night sky.
Whatever Dave's plans are, I hope it involves a return visit to Liverpool soon. My ears may even have stopped ringing by then.