2008 Woodie Awards
Foo Fighters stop in Mass., give Worcester its 'best'
Erin Shea
Issue date: 3/11/08 Section: Entertainment
03/11/08 - Foo Fighters landed in Worcester, Mass. late last month for its only stop in New England during its current tour.
Unfortunately, the show was almost ruined before the band even started its set because it was then that Serj Tankian took the stage, sucking any sense of enjoyment from my evening for what seemed like hours.
From his horrible "singing" to his incredible lack of stage presence, Tankian was everything Foo Fighters wasn't. To his credit though, he did look very much like a ringleader. At least he knows where his strengths lie.
Thankfully, the Foo Fighters soon took over, although the band didn't get off to a great start. The band's current hit, "The Pretender," was second in the set and frontman Dave Grohl was already lacking energy.
That may have been due to his own dislike of constantly playing the song, because the next song, "Times Like These," and all the songs following it were as forceful and dynamic as you'd expect from a Foo Fighters show.
The guitar duel before "Stacked Actors" was plenty entertaining, but what really stood out was an intense drum solo from Foos drummer, Taylor Hawkins.
Another highlight of the show was when a circular stage magically descended from the heavens to be the platform on which the band performed what was one of the best songs of the night, "Skin and Bones."
However, "Skin and Bones" and the aforementioned drum solo were soon to be overshadowed by an event that is sure to change rock concerts forever: the magical triangle solo.
It was undoubtedly the most emotional moment of the night, as the entire stadium became transfixed by the beauty of the triangle's sound.
And then it was over and we returned to our regularly scheduled program. But oh, what an amazing program it was.
A solo Grohl started out an acoustic version of "Everlong," before joining his bandmates back on the main stage to finish out the song in a rush of adrenaline.
After waiting in anticipation, cheering and clapping and screaming our lungs out, the guys were back for an encore. As long as the crowd didn't pelt them with Mentos, that is.
So, of course, given the no-Mentos request, it's no surprise that they kicked off the encore with "Big Me," another favorite of the night, and like "Skin and Bones" another slow tune.
They picked up the pace though and went out with a bang with "Best of You." The title - although not the lyrics - was a fitting way to describe the night: a night with Foo Fighters, on stage, giving New England its all.
Unfortunately, the show was almost ruined before the band even started its set because it was then that Serj Tankian took the stage, sucking any sense of enjoyment from my evening for what seemed like hours.
From his horrible "singing" to his incredible lack of stage presence, Tankian was everything Foo Fighters wasn't. To his credit though, he did look very much like a ringleader. At least he knows where his strengths lie.
Thankfully, the Foo Fighters soon took over, although the band didn't get off to a great start. The band's current hit, "The Pretender," was second in the set and frontman Dave Grohl was already lacking energy.
That may have been due to his own dislike of constantly playing the song, because the next song, "Times Like These," and all the songs following it were as forceful and dynamic as you'd expect from a Foo Fighters show.
The guitar duel before "Stacked Actors" was plenty entertaining, but what really stood out was an intense drum solo from Foos drummer, Taylor Hawkins.
Another highlight of the show was when a circular stage magically descended from the heavens to be the platform on which the band performed what was one of the best songs of the night, "Skin and Bones."
However, "Skin and Bones" and the aforementioned drum solo were soon to be overshadowed by an event that is sure to change rock concerts forever: the magical triangle solo.
It was undoubtedly the most emotional moment of the night, as the entire stadium became transfixed by the beauty of the triangle's sound.
And then it was over and we returned to our regularly scheduled program. But oh, what an amazing program it was.
A solo Grohl started out an acoustic version of "Everlong," before joining his bandmates back on the main stage to finish out the song in a rush of adrenaline.
After waiting in anticipation, cheering and clapping and screaming our lungs out, the guys were back for an encore. As long as the crowd didn't pelt them with Mentos, that is.
So, of course, given the no-Mentos request, it's no surprise that they kicked off the encore with "Big Me," another favorite of the night, and like "Skin and Bones" another slow tune.
They picked up the pace though and went out with a bang with "Best of You." The title - although not the lyrics - was a fitting way to describe the night: a night with Foo Fighters, on stage, giving New England its all.