Sunday 18/06/06 Foo Fighters, The Strokes @ Lancashire County Cricket Club, Manchester

The Strokes played an admirable support set for the ‘Foos’, despite the initial lukewarm reception they received by the audience, who spirit’s seemed to have been dampened somewhat by the miserable summer weather.   As they nailed some of their more well known tracks, ‘Some times’ and ‘Reptilia’, the crowd seemed to warm up considerably and by the time they reached ‘Last night’ they were loving it. The New Yorkers are almost too cool for school and although the music was fantastic and they played with effortless precision their stage presence did nothing to entertain.  Julian Casablancas addressed the audience very modestly and thanked the Foo Fighters for the opportunity of supporting them. They then ended on ‘Take it or leave it’, which summed it up nicely. 

The heavens opened on Sunday for two reasons; firstly to remind the audience what British summers are really like but, more importantly, to let those celestial beings, the Foo Fighters, descend to the teeming throng of devotees gathered at Lancashire country cricket ground. While so many bands would seem like fish out of water in a stadium of that size, it seems the Foo Fighters were made for it.
 
Video flashbacks of the bands illustrious 11 year career wetted the audience’s appetite for the Foos impending entrance. As Dave Grohl took the stage alone amid woops and screams he ripped straight into ‘In Your Honour’, the title track from the band’s forthcoming album of the same name. One at a time the band assembled on stage, with Taylor Hawkins filling the thumping Foo drum void last of all. The scene was set and they wasted no time in whipping the audience into a frenzy with a varied mix of new and old tracks.  
 
The familiar chugging guitar start of ‘One by One’ sent a wave through the crowd as girls were raised to shoulders and plastic cups took flight into the dusk sky. By the time they had launched into ‘Times Like These’ Grohl could bring laughter with the raise of an eye brow and screams with a flick of his pick. At the stroke of ten a beacon search light fired down to hit Grohl as he launched into ‘Break Out’, and as the tempo grew, green laser fingers stretch out perpetuating the feeling of the song. Grohl used the crowd’s energy to create waves of cheers before ending on a high with ‘Monkey Wrench’. Answering the manic crowd’s inevitable demands, the band reappeared for an encore where Taylor Hawkins proudly showed the new string of the Foos bow. Armed with a guitar and mic he took main stage and sang the new ‘Cold Day in the Sun’, while Grohl was back in his old role on drums.
 
Drawing to a close, the lights were lowered and the crowd lapped up the enchanting melody of ‘Everlong’ before Grohl launched into the rockier version amid impressive fire works. A hugely memorable night was had by Sunday’s audience who will, no doubt, be waiting impatiently for the ‘Second Coming’.

Photos by: Shirlaine Forrest

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