The last time Dave Grohl celebrated his birthday at a Los Angeles concert was 2015, and I was there for that one, too. The show was massive: surprise guests, spectacle, the whole deal. On wednesday night at the Kia Forum felt deliberately smaller, if you can call anything in an 18,000-seat arena small. No overproduction, no novelty moments, no parade of spectacle. Just Foo Fighters in their element.
The band opened by acknowledging the absence of Pat Smear, his image displayed on Ilan Rubin’s drum kit, and dedicated the first song to him. Starting with “My Hero” immediately set the tone. Before the crowd had time to settle, they jumped straight into “All My Life,” signaling that this wouldn’t be a slow build. Game on.
“Times Like These” showed up with a familiarity that felt grounding, like that one friend we all have that makes us feel like everything is alright, while “The Pretender” adrenalized the room, if not the city block. Grohl’s banter moved between humor and sincerity, and the crowd followed his lead. At some point, the yelling stopped being about the band and became something shared. We were all yelling. We yelled and then yelled again. It felt necessary.
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There was a birthday cake, a rotating stage, and a moment for Taylor Hawkins, whose presence is still in the room at all times. Dave got emotional. Friends joined the party not as headline guests, but as family, Chad Smith, Beck, Matt Bellamy, Alison Mosshart, Josh Homme, and Butch Vig, all there to celebrate someone they clearly love.
Despite the Forum’s size, the night never felt distant. By the time “Monkey Wrench” hit, the room was locked in. Phones were out but not a priority; we happily committed our attention. Grohl took time to thank the crowd for helping raise money for Hope United, and he did it without rushing or turning it into a moment about himself. He thanked everyone he could and then thanked everyone again.
“Everlong” closed the night, as expected, but it didn’t feel routine. It felt earned. Familiar, yes, but still capable of surprising you. That’s not an easy thing for a band this far into their career to pull off.
Grohl, Nate Mendel, Chris Shiflett, Ilan Rubin, Rami Jaffee, and Jason Falkner, filling in for Smear, moved with the kind of cohesion that only comes from shared history. Nothing flashy. Not a moment wasted.
Last night felt less like a spectacle and more like a gathering. No agenda and no pretense. Just a band doing what they’ve always done best.
Foo Fighters Setlist:
My Hero (dedicated to Pat Smear)
All My Life
Times Like These
The Pretender
La Dee Da
These Days
Walk
Stacked Actors
Learn to Fly
Run
This Is a Call
No Son of Mine (with Motörhead’s “Ace of Spades” interlude)
Under You (dedicated to Taylor Hawkins)
Aurora
White Limo
Arlandria
Monkey Wrench
Hey, Johnny Park!
Best of You
Encore:
Exhausted
Everlong
Foo Fighters Photo Gallery
