In occasions like these, you do certainly be taught to stay once more.
That was the resounding and rejuvenating spirit of the stay music expertise coming rocking again to life with the Foo Fighters at Madison Sq. Backyard on Sunday evening. Sure, on Father’s Day night, the grandaddy of all arenas held its first live performance since COVID shut the get together down in March 2020.
And after the Sunday-chill sounds of The Commodores’ “Straightforward” set the temper for them to take the stage, the hard-rocking Foo Fighters didn’t waste any time launching into what might be their best-known tune, “Occasions Like These,” which might usually have been saved for the top of the present. When the track was over, Foo frontman Dave Grohl raised his proper arm triumphantly as a load roar let loose throughout the Backyard.
At that second, no phrases have been wanted from Grohl — or anybody else. It was all about that roar, a communal launch that concertgoers had been ready 15 lengthy months to have collectively once more.
With Grohl seemingly not desirous to waste a minute speaking when he and his band may in the end be taking part in to a stay viewers, the Foo Fighters stored on swinging, going straight from “Occasions Like These” into “The Pretender.”
Then lastly a revved-up Grohl stated, “We’ve been ready for this! We’ve been ready for the rock and roll . . . Would you like rock and roll?” After asking the latter query 3 times, the collective “sure” solely acquired larger and greater — in simply one of many occasions that the Foos and their delirious followers threatened to tear the roof off of the Backyard.
The final time MSG acquired rocked by any act was when the Brothers — together with some longtime Allman Brothers Band members — celebrated the music of ABB on March 10, 2020.
And at the same time as this was a banging jolt of normalcy, this was nonetheless a really completely different world from the final time concertgoers fist-pumped and sang alongside to each track — generally annoyingly — within the stands. This time, you needed to present proof of vaccination — a requirement that drew anti-vax protesters exterior of MSG — and there have been some who have been nonetheless masked up inside even after that.
However the viewers and the employees largely went with out masks. Nonetheless, there have been hand-sanitizer stations throughout, which have little question been in place because the Knicks and Rangers began taking part in to crowds once more in February.
And there have been absolutely these (yours really included) who had some anxiousness about shouting in maskless strangers’ faces over the music.
Even earlier than the Foos took the stage, followers have been already standing. “I’m excited. It’s gonna be superior,” stated Justin Stags, 18, of West Milford, NJ, who was rocking a navy-blue Nirvana “Nevermind” shirt in homage to Grohl’s former band. “Anyone stepped on my footwear within the hallway, they usually have been apologizing. And I used to be like, ‘No, please step on my footwear! I haven’t been this near folks in so lengthy.’ ”
As if the evening weren’t already emotional sufficient with the return of live shows on the Backyard, the present was devoted to the Foos’ longtime stage supervisor, Andy Pollard, who died instantly on Friday. Pollard even acquired some love on the MSG Jumbotron on Seventh Avenue.
However on the finish of the day, nothing may steal the enjoyment of the return of stay music to the Backyard. Pat B., an usher at MSG who didn’t wish to give her final identify, summed it up greatest: “Rock and roll is again.”
