Returning for their third headlining gig at ACL, Foo Fighters took the stage Saturday night to bring “raw rock and roll” to Austin.
Founding member and lead singer Dave Grohl led the band through their two-hour set, showing off why everyone seems to love the frontman and his dad-charm. The rock legend welcomed back old fans and jokingly chastised new ones for just now getting around to see his band.
Each member of Foo Fighters oozed with experience, from former Guns N’ Roses drummer Josh Freese to long-time member Nate Mendel on bass.
They each had their moments to shine because the headlining slot offered the band the freedom to experiment with long, hard-core instrumentals that had Grohl headbanging like it was the ‘90s.
Grhol understood the limitations of his older aged audience – but challenged them to mosh and sing along through the long set list.
Foo Fighters made sure to let the fans know that this was a night full of classic rock, with short covers of iconic songs like Sabotage, Blitzkrieg Bop, and March of the Pigs played as each band member was introduced. The sheer grandiosity of the set gave this impression as well with the massive upstage drum set, plethora of guitars and stacked keyboards establishing their prowess.
Their classic hits like Complication, My Hero and Everlong brought the massive crowd together in chanting the songs with Grohl, showing the reach of the bands’ influence among fans today. Everlong, Foo Fighters’ closing song and most famous single had phone lights in the air and the whole crowd dancing as the iconic guitar riff and Grohl’s touching lyrics boomed over the field.
Shania Twain joined the band shortly after her own headlining set at Honda Stage ended.
The singer, decked out in a sparkly ensemble with bright red hair, joined Grohl in singing Best of You. Her voice complimented the track well, bringing an appreciated mix-up to the set.