2008

Jeffrey Oddo // Concert Experience

Jeffrey Oddo's Concert Review

You've got to hand it to Dave Grohl. Not only has he written a wealth of great songs that transcend many genres and formats, but he has proven that he has the staying power to back it up. Grohl and co. were fired up last week about playing Madison Square Garden, at times overbearingly so. By the fourth time a band mentions how amazing it is to be playing "Madison Square F*cking Garden," it almost comes across as if they don't deserve to be there. But deserve it they did, and all the hits where touched upon.

"The Pretender" and "Times Like These" had the crowd on its feet early on, with Grohl marching around the stage ramps with equal parts enthusiasm and authority. An acoustic set on a small second stage near the middle of the arena was a welcome change, though shortening it would have served the show better--the intimate vibe did not transcend to the upper tiers of the arena, bringing the show's energy to a lull. The Foo's recovered, finishing with a number of crowd pleasers. The frenetic "All My Life" bristled with reckless abandon and their current single, "Long Road To Ruin," was inspired and vibrant.

It was a bit bizarre seeing original guitarist Pat Smear back as part of the touring band in that he did not join them on most of the older songs that he recorded with the band. Nonetheless, it was infectious to witness him and the entire Foo crew clearly enjoying a special moment in their lives and careers.

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Chart Notes:
The chart is rated on a scale of -2 to 2 with -2 being the least favorable and 2 being the most except, for "girl / guy" ratio. "Recommend", indicates if the user recommends seeing this artist in concert. "Sound", is how the reviewer believes the artist sounded. "Presence", reflects the reviewer's opinion of the excitement of the artist's performance. "Reaction", was the crowd's rection to the performance. "Worth It", is the reviewer's opinion of if the performance was worth the price of the ticket. "Girl / Guy " is the approximate men to women ratio at the show with -2 being all women and 2 being all men. "See Again", is the reviewer's desire to see this artist perform again. "Overall", is the overall rating based off the other values excpet, Girl To Guy Ratio.