Foo Fighters rock sold out Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, MN

I think we’ve established that the Foo Fighters love rock-n-roll.

Foo Fighters rocked a sold out Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul on what was to be the final show of their Concrete and Gold world tour. After a year and a half of straight touring, there were no signs of fatigue, but rather, Dave Grohl and company did what they do best and cranked it to 11 from the start.

Changing up the setlist a bit since I covered them at Moda Center in Portland, OR in September, Foo Fighters started off with the super heavy tune “Run” from Concrete and Gold. Frontman Dave Grohl’s voice was a little scratchy from the start but it didn’t take away from a high energy and awesome performance.

“Something From Nothing” from the band’s 2014 release Sonic Highways sounded good and primed the crowd for a string of songs that truly raised the energy. “Walk” and “These Days” from the Butch Vig produced 2011 album Wasting Light sounded phenomenal, as did the super rock-n-roll breakdown during “The Pretender”. Their classic tune “All My Life” was also excellent and included “Cat Scratch Fever” guitar teases. “Breakout” came up soon after and the stage lighting was dropped low just above the band before Grohl requested the lights be turned off completely. The Xcel was dark and the crowd responded by lighting up their phones and lighters while Foo Fighters shredded the tune. It was one of the best songs played all night.

During band introductions, Dave Grohl asked guitarist Chris Schiflett to give the crowd a solo similar to a six-piece with hot mustard, and subsequently went on to introduce all members while comparing them to McDonald’s menu items. The hilarity that ensued wore thin pretty quick, and when the band got back to playing the steam had been let off. But it didn’t take long for Foo Fighters to get cruising again and they absolutely rocked “My Hero”, “Monkey Wrench”, and “Everlong” from their hit sophomore album The Colour and the Shape.

For the encore, the band was accompanied by backup singers for a gorgeous extended version of Tom Petty’s song “Breakdown”. And then the treat of the night happened when Grohl changed the setlist and rocked the rarely-played tune “White Limo” after crowd members held up a huge cutout of the song title. It was heavy and blissful and it made my night. After nearly three hours, the show ended with a great version of “Best of You”.

While this show may not have had the consistency of the Portland show, the highs were higher and Foo Fighters at Xcel Energy Center kicked a whole lot of ass. I also saw them on this tour in Sioux Falls in November of 2017, and this show at Xcel also topped that one. I hope it’s not long before I can see them again.

Gang of Youths