Gig played on 17/12/05

"Can you hear me?" bellows the already sweating figure of Dave Grohl. His foot rests on the monitors that define the lip of the stage as layers of hauntingly ethereal guitars howl a beautifully incandescent noise and, coupled with strobe lights blinking at near-epileptic levels and Taylor Hawkins' thundering drums, there's every chance that Foo Fighters and the crowd of 18,000 screaming fans urging them on are likely to be heard on the other side of London. As an introduction, "In Your Honour" doesn't get any more agenda setting than this.

Under normal circumstances, the arena gig is something to be dreaded; vast aircraft hangers masquerading as venues have the ability to suck an atmosphere from a gig like a faulty airlock on the Mir satellite and though many bands fill them, few can actually create anything resembling a sense of drama and wild abandon. Foo Fighters are one of the few exceptions to the rule. Despite possessing the kind of discreet mainstream media profile that would enable Dave Grohl to walk down any High Street unmolested, the former Nirvana tub-thumper commands the kind of devotion that sees this cavernous arena filled to capacity over two nights.

It's not difficult to see why; Grohl and his cohorts actually give a sh*t about making sure that each and every person here tonight is given the Saturday night that they deserve and, rather than offering perfunctory run-throughs of their back catalogue, deliver the kind of ferocious performance that's become synonymous with their name. Grohl is a bundle of relentless energy. When not howling through his mic, he runs from one side of the stage to the other to ensure that everyone has his attention.

"Tonight," he declares, "we are going to play you hit after hit after hit after motherf*ckin' hit!" And he's not wrong. Against a stage set redolent of some sci-fi heavy metal junkyard, Foo Fighters fire off one salvo after another. "My Hero", "Learn To Fly", "DOA", "Monkey Wrench" and a particularly startling "All My Life" are detonated with a breathless gusto that sees the band competing with the audience over who has the greater stamina, while "Stacked Actors" sees the boundlessly enthusiastic Grohl run the length of the arena to stand atop a raised platform to ensure that those at the back are given a piece of the action.

Foo Fighters are a rarity. Slick without being oily, not only do they possess the ability to fill Earl's Court twice over, they're able to fulfil the expectations and demands of their fans without ever compromising their original vision. The grunge Ringo? Get outta here...

by James Marshall