The Foo Fighters brought their stadium tour to DC this week with a massive show at Nationals Park. The legendary rockers are on tour celebrating over 30 years of music with a massive stadium tour. The Take Cover Tour kicked off in January in Mexico and will span four continents over the course of a year. A handful of musical powerhouses will join the tour as openers, with Mannequin Pussy and Queens of the Stone Age tapped as openers for the DC show.
The Foo Fighters are no strangers to the DMV area. Frontman Dave Grohl grew up in Northern Virginia, attending school in Fairfax County. As a teenager, he joined the local music scene and has cited experiences at the 9:30 club as having had an impact on his artistry and career. He eventually joined Nirvana, and after Kurt Cobain’s passing, he founded the Foo Fighters. More than thirty years and twelve albums later, Foo Fighters are proving their lasting impact on the rock scene. Their latest album, Your Favorite Toy was released this April, receiving favorable reviews and charting well. The Take Cover Tour is a celebration of the group’s three decades of music and memories, with the setlist covering a wide variety of songs from their lengthy discography.
Foo Fighters took to the stage shortly after sunset and played 3 hours of nonstop music. Each song highlighted the incredible skill of Grohl and his fellow band members Nate Mendel, Pat Smear, Chris Shiflett, Rami Jaffee, and Ilan Rubin. They began the show with some of their older hits including “All My Life,” “The Pretender,” and “My Hero” before transitioning into some newer material. The Take Cover Tour has an alternating setlist, with each tour date getting something a little different from the rest. For the show at Nats Park, the group dedicated several songs to various friends, family members, fans, and of course, longtime drummer Taylor Hawkins, who died in 2022.
About halfway through the show, they emerged on a B-stage in the center of the crowd, where Grohl shared anecdotes about growing up in the DC area. He revealed that he had local friends and family in attendance and dedicated a song to them. While on the B-stage, he noticed a fan’s sign asking him to take a shot with her mother and procured a bottle of Jäger to oblige. Throughout the show, Grohl talked about the influences the DMV had on his upbringing.
The Foo Fighters’ Take Cover Tour gives a stadium performance with intimate elements. Grohl’s hometown show was a love letter to the music, family, supporters, and the place that shaped him into the legendary artist he is today. The Take Cover Tour will continue in September, with a show in Brazil, followed by more North American dates, an Australian and Asian leg, and wrapping up with more Latin American dates.
Final grade: A
About The Author
