What a wild time it’s been since the release of Concrete and Gold! If you’ve been scrambling to keep up with the latest happenings, we’ve got you covered with a summary of the past few weeks (and a little of what’s to come) in Foo News.
Album Chart Performance
Concrete and Gold has given Foo Fighters their second US #1 album (following 2011’s Wasting Light), their fourth in the UK, and their seventh in Australia (where it was certified gold). It also topped the charts in ten other countries and cracked the top ten in twelve others. At the time of writing, Metacritic stats reflect mostly positive reviews from writers and fans alike.
CalJam
For many, CalJam was the first major outdoor festival after the attack in Las Vegas, and a shared feeling of supporting one another in good and bad times was demonstrated in a gesture by Josh Homme during the QOTSA set as he held up a sign from the crowd saying ‘Vegas Strong’. That community spirit was evident far and wide from the moment the festival opened at Glen Helen Regional Park, with the members of Foo Fighters mingling with fans at the water park and near the stage. Dave was also spotted overseeing the food, naturally taking it upon himself to sign up for Pitmaster duties. The keenly-anticipated Foo Fighters Museum (aka. Fooseum) contained many more icons from the band’s history than anyone could have imagined, including but definitely not limited to Dave’s post-fall throne, the White Limo, tubes of Footos and FooBrite (from the ‘Big Me’ and ‘I’ll Stick Around’ videos, respectively), set pieces, letters, passes from memorable performances, and the infamous portrait of Dave commissioned by Foo Crew that hangs in Studio 606. Even one of Dave’s many (many…many…) flannel shirts got its own display stand. The Big Red Delicious, the first Foo Fighters tour van, was also seen on the site.
As an album release party, Foo Fighters’ headlining set was not short on surprises and special guests, with several Concrete and Gold friends hopping up for a jam: Oroducer Greg Kurstin, Alison Mosshart, Dave Koz (whose contributions, as revealed by Taylor in a recent interview, were left out of the final mix but for which he was given a credit anyway), and Inara George. But they were nowhere near finished – reprising their spontaneous mash-up, Rick Astley appeared to perform ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’, before Aerosmith’s Joe Perry – who performed at the original CalJam in the 70s – riffed with them on ‘Draw The Line’. The set then went to the next level by inviting Greg and Liam Gallagher to join them on a cover of ‘Come Together’ – during which Liam leapt into the crowd, fumbled the lyrics but didn’t care, and Liam Gallaghered as only Liam Gallagher could.
Dave shared a letter via social media thanking everyone for making CalJam such an extraordinary success, hinting at the possibility of doing it all again sometime – perhaps sooner than expected.
The Anthem
Foo Fighters will break the bottle on Washington, D.C.’s latest venue, The Anthem, a three-level waterfront club. The official opening is on October 12 and the event sold out in a blink, but the band will do a sneaky gig for friends, family, and competition winners the night before. The special show will be broadcast live on all iHeartRadio Alternative stations, including an online stream.
MTV EMA Award Nominations
Foo Fighters are in the running for three MTV European Music Awards – Best Rock, Best Video, and Best World Stage. Two of these categories are open for public voting while Best Video (for which their viral ‘Run’ clip is nominated) is closed and will be chosen by MTV. The winners will be announced on November 12 at the ceremony at SSE Arena, Wembley, London.
Foo Fighters Arms
Following a cryptic teaser in the band’s newsletter, the ‘Foo Fighters Arms’ pub was unveiled. Situated in the City Of London, the pub served as both a pop-up shop selling British-themed memorabilia and a place for British fans to gather, knock back a few, and enjoy the sights and sounds of their favourite band. Staged in partnership with Live Nation, highlights of the watering hole included ‘portraits’ of the band in full noble regalia, similarly-themed tea sets, and a Polaroid wall behind the bar. Winners of the trivia night won piles of band swag and although the lines to enter stretched quite far, those who made it in reported that the fan experience was well worth it and new friendships were forged over a cold one (or more).
Carpool Karaoke
Before the album’s release, the band was spotted in a van with The Late Late show host James Corden on the streets of LA, rigged with cameras, a clear indication that a Carpool Karaoke instalment with the band was on its way. On September 20, the episode went to air, with all six members squishing into a van and belting out a selection of hits between obligatory question-and-answer segments with their host/driver/karaoke king.
In a later interview, the band said that the experience was “uncomfortable” and that by the third hour, it was not as much fun as it looked. More material was also recorded than what was used in the final cut, including a second cover of a Ramones track, and more time was spent at the Guitar Center than shown during the show. Before it went to air, Chris also pointed out that despite playing ‘Learn To Fly’ for eighteen years, he needed to bring up the lyrics on his phone and the light of the screen is clearly visible in his sunglasses! ICYMI, watch the aired karaoke session below.
TV appearance and Secret show in Sweden
Foo Fighters visited Sweden for two events. The first order of business was to record an appearance on the popular Nordic talk show Skavlan. Dave and Taylor were interviewed by Fredrik (during which Dave was reunited with the doctor who held his leg in place during the legendary Gothenberg show) and the band also performed the song ‘The Sky is a Neighborhood’. The show went out in Sweden and Norway on Friday and you can grab a recording of the broadcast below.
Next up was a super secret show the following day. The location was kept a surprise even from the specially invited attendees, the biggest listeners of the band on Spotify. They went to collect wristbands and were eventually told to head to [venue] for an intimate evening with the typical Foo set of classics and “new shit”, including the live debut of Concrete and Gold track ‘The Line’. A highlight of the show was The Vines frontman Pelle Almqvist appearing for a riotous cover of AC/DC’s ‘Let There Be Rock’.
Secret show in Barcelona for MTV World Stage
The day after the album drop, the band slipped into Spain to perform a set at BARTS for lucky winners as part of the MTV World Stage series. The set was a mix of new and classic and was notable for the second live performance of Saint Cecilia banger ‘Sean’. This show has since been nominated for a gong in the MTV EMAs (see above).
US Tour Begins
The first round of the North American tour begins on October 14 in Richmond, Virginia, with a brief detour to Mexico City for the CORONA Capital Festival on November 18. The stage plan is said to feature a catwalk as in previous tours. For the current list of dates, follow our link here or check out the handy live list on our front page.