“It’s Times Like These,” Soldier Field “Take Cover” in the everlasting Foo Fighters and QOTSA
Photos by Andy Argyrakis
Few rock bands from the last three decades have endured to the degree of the Foo Fighters, yet alone remaining as relevant, not only surviving several generations of changing trends, but the devastating blow of losing a key member way too soon.
Nonetheless, founding singer/guitarist Dave Grohl, guitarist Pat Smear, bassist Nate Mendel, fellow guitarist Chris Shiflett, keyboardist Rami Jaffee and recently recruited drummer Ilan Rubin resumed selling out stadiums, such as Chicago’s iconic and superstar-stacked Soldier Field, always making sure to honor the invincible spirit of beat keeper Taylor Hawkins in the process.
It’s certainly fitting that the Foo Fighters’ latest long-player, “Your Favorite Toy,” hearkens back to their ballsy alternative beginnings, possessing the punch and hunger of a debut album, despite it being a dozen down the line.
Although the current collection is unrelentingly exceptional, the group has so many humongous hits, the three-hour evening felt closer to an extremely generous retrospective, minus any hint of nostalgia whatsoever considering these anthems are truly ageless.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers began as if it was the finale, crunching through “All My Life,” “The Pretender” and “Times Like These,” the latter of which felt more cathartic than ever as Grohl was so passionate, he could’ve been carrying the weight of the entire world on his shoulders.
There were tons of other chill-inducing highs, including “My Hero,” “Learn To Fly” and “This Is A Call” on the primary platform, plus an acoustic or stripped down segment on a midfield stage featuring “Wheels,” “Big Me” and a cover of Late!’s “Marigold,” dedicated to late Nirvana/Pixies producer Steve Albini.
Upon to returning to the regular set-up, the cyclone of strobe lights helped propel the driving rhythms of “Run,” then a little later, Grohl reclaimed the drumming position he held in Nirvana and some of the Foo Fighters recordings during The New Regime’s “Tap Dancing In A Minefield.”
Rubin also really got his chance to bash behind the kit after “Monkey Wrench” and “Aurora” was specifically dedicated to Hawkins, while the aggressive newer cut “Caught In The Echo” properly set up the scream-a-long “Best Of You.”
Come the encore, it was practically superhuman the guys weren’t “Exhausted,” instead diving head first into “Everlong” and effortlessly managing to make it seem like “everything could ever feel this real forever.”
Easily headliners on any other evening, frequent Grohl collaborators Queens Of The Stone Age offered direct support, offering a no-nonsense overview exactly 30 years since getting started.
The hour-long helping of hard rock/alternative metal included “Regular John,” “The Lost Art Of Keeping A Secret” and “My God Is The Sun” as ferocious front man Josh Homme led the longstanding line-up.
The ambitious act also just dropped the brand new single “Easy Street,” and though it didn’t factor in quite yet, the recent “Time & Place” roared in rhythm with “Little Sister,” “Domesticated Animals,” “Make It Wit Chu” and “I Appear Missing.”
QOTSA closed by offering a trifecta off the landmark “Songs For The Deaf,” (“Go With The Flow,” “No One Knows,” “A Song For The Dead”), making a stadium-sized impact and intrepidly preparing the masses for the frenzy of the Foo Fighters.
For additional information on Foo Fighters and Queens Of The Stone Age, visit FooFighters.com and QOTSA.com.
For a list of upcoming Live Nation and Jam Productions shows, visit LiveNation.com and JamUSA.com.
Upcoming shows at Soldier Field include Usher Raymond and Chris Brown (Aug. 21-22); BTS (Aug. 27-28) and Ye (Sept. 3-4). For additional details, visit SoldierField.com.







