Foo Fighters at Red Rocks

So I went to the Foo Fighters concert at Red Rocks Amphitheatre (in Morrison, CO) Monday night. It was supposed to be in July but Dave Grohl got sick and it was postponed to the end of their tour. And of course, yesterday morning started out with rain! Luckily it wasn't raining -and was actually pretty dry- by the time we got there. It was still overcast and there were a couple of cool clouds of fog rolling over the mountains. Oh, and it was cold! :)

A band called Year Long Disaster opened for the Fighters. .... .... .... The band consists of (and I do not know their names) a drummer, a bassist, and the lead guitarist/singer. The first song started out really good ...until the lead singer opened his mouth. Within 3 seconds I could tell that he was influenced by Steven Tyler and Aerosmith, but Tyler can croon. Screaming is NOT an acceptable substitute for not being able to sing. Now, it wasn't like death metal screaming (which I absolutely cannot stand), but just more like I know I can't hold a note unless it's in my throat so here you go. Honestly, the band's sound is awesome (many of the songs sound similar to Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Aerosmith, and a ton of other 70's & 80's rock bands) but they need a different singer. During the 3rd or 4th song I was imagining the melody being sung by a woman with a huskier voice (something like Billie Holiday) and it changed my view of it -enriched the song actually. If they just got a different singer, that band could really take off instead of being the Year Long Singing Disaster I saw that night. To end this critique on a positive note, the guy was a really good guitarist, and the bassist was phenomenal.

Okay, on to the Foo Fighters. Personally, I was a bit disappointed that "Learn to Fly" was song #3 -I could have used a bit more time to warm up for that one. That's the song I went to the show for (because it's the only one I know all the words to, thanks to RockBand). I mean, I like Foo Fighters songs, but I don't know them that well. Lyrics can be difficult to decipher. I like that they are incorporating traditional strings into their music. On this tour they have brought along Jessie Green on cello, violin, and as a backup/duet singer. She is awesome. (maybe she could sing for YLD?).
I think my favorite part of the concert was Dave Grohl's first comment to the audience. "Sorry we're late," sounding like the Joker's "hi" to Harvey Dent in the hospital after getting half his face burned off (Dark Knight with Christian Bale and Heath Ledger if you don't know what I'm talking about). Throughout the course of the night he referred back to the fact that the show had to be postponed due to his illness, ultimately concluding that it was for the best; that this gig was the best of the tour. I'm sure he says that to all the audiences. ;) And just in case you were wondering, they closed the show with "Big Me" aka the Mentos song. heehee

Well, I can't give you a set list or anything, I really don't know the songs. But, they were good. What I can comment on was the experience of the concert. You know, I really feel sorry for people who have to get drunk, and especially those who need to smoke pot, to enjoy somebody's music. I truly do, and it sucks that their deficiency can ruin someone else's enjoyment of same concert. For me, it's distracting and annoying when I'm simply breathing and inhale pot smoke, but some people have major adverse physical reactions to it -which I'm sure if the pot smokers were aware of, still wouldn't care about. A certain somebody who wanted to be at that concert more than I did had to leave only halfway through because of a migraine from the smoke. Pounding drums and a cacaphony of guitars were unfortunately making it worse. People, if you're looking for an excuse to party, that's what raves and ..well, parties are for. It may be hard to stomach, but some of us go see a band play live because we just like their music and want to hear it. I know, stop the presses.
Overall, the concert was a blast. This was my first time seeing a show at Red Rocks and I would definitely go back. Being outside in the mountains rocking out is fun, but it would have been better in July when the tempature was quite a bit higher than barely above freezing. I will be buying the DVD of the concert when it comes out. And Paul, I'm totally jacking the Foo Fighters hoodie you bought.