The Foo Rocks "The Q" (07.25.08)

Quicken Loans Arena

I consider myself to be an avid fan of rock and roll music and one of the great things about calling Cleveland home is its reputation for memorable rock and roll concerts. Whether it’s a secret show by Akron’s Black Keys for 100 people at the Beachland Ballroom (in the small tavern side) or a comeback tour stop by Stone Temple Pilots and native frontman Scott Weiland at PlayhouseSquare’s 5,000-seat State Theatre, I’m never at a loss to see a great rock and roll show. This is, after all, the home of rock and roll.

Last Friday I took my fiancé to see the Foo Fighters in concert at Quicken Loans Arena for her birthday. We were running late to the show and with the Cleveland Indians playing next door at Progressive Field it could have been difficult getting to the show on time and finding a parking spot with all that traffic, but here’s a tip . . . take the RTA. We live close to a RTA Red Line Rapid Station which makes it very convenient to travel to downtown. In less than 15 minutes we arrived at Tower City Center and took the Walkway to Gateway that leads right into Quicken Loans Arena.  

It was a homecoming of sorts for the Foo Fighters with Dave Grohl being from nearby Warren, Ohio. The Foo seemed to play harder, louder and longer. Pulling out all the stops for the hometown crowd, which included Grohl’s father, in a 2 ½-hour show that included a few surprises.

The band opened up an electric set with “Let It Die,” a track off their latest album and mixed in a few hits with “Times Like These” and “Learn To Fly” as well as a cover by The Who called “Young Man Blues.”

Halfway through the show the band took to a small circular stage about 30 feet from our seats and played an acoustic set featuring “Marigold” (a Nirvana B-side), “My Hero” and “Monkey Wrench” with Pat Smear, a former Nirvana bandmate, on guitar. The good times continued to roll with Kelly Pavlik, the middleweight boxing champion from Youngstown, Ohio, coming on-stage to lead the audience in a raucous “O-H-I-O” chant.

The band topped that with another lively cover of The Who’s “Bargain” with Supergrass’ Gaz on leads vocals and “Best of You” for the encore. Another fine show indeed –Cleveland style.

Next up on my concert schedule…Dr. Dog at The Beachland Ballroom and the British band Coldplay comes around these parts in October. – MS

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