Gut Reactions (post-gig memories and other trips): Foo Fighters, "Everything or Nothing At All" UK Tour, Hampden Park, Glasgow. Monday 17th, June, 2024

When the tickets for this rock'n'roll show went on sale, I didn't know whether I could get the day off. With no golden circle, I didn't want to risk buying standing tickets and ending up at the back of the pitch, so I panicked and paid for the best seats I could get, which turned out to be in the South Stand, opposite the stage.

In my haste, I hadn't even realised they were VIP tickets, which sounds fancy but isn't. The reality was that we got a clear plastic bag printed with the FF logo, which contained an exclusive art print and a fabric wristband with the tour name. There was no early entrance, no exclusive bars, and no special assistance to take us to our seats.

We could have benefitted from a personal guide as we ended up sitting in the right row, on the right seat number, but in the wrong section. We sat there for both support acts and only discovered our mistake when the actual people with the correct tickets arrived. Cue a shameful shuffle out from the row, then a traipse down the stairs to the front to ask another steward where we should have sat. Which turned out to be more central. To be honest, we should have realised earlier because we were the only people sitting there holding VIP bags.

We missed the start of Honeyblood's set as I had parked in Shawlands, miles from the Stadium. The all-girl, indie guitar rock act from Edinburgh were okay. Pleasant to watch and listen to, and it was good to hear a Scottish accent.

The second support act, Courtney Barnett, didn't get me fired up. At first, I thought the Aussie was heavily influenced by Bob Dylan's rambling, not-quite-singing style. Then, she transitioned into shouty mode. Later, she proved she could sing, but her songs didn't win me over. Not that that mattered because we were only here for the Foos. And they did not disappoint.

Dave Grohl has the kind of magnetic personality that draws your attention even when he's a tiny blip at the other end of the pitch. His warmth, personality, and charm fill the entire stadium, and boy, does he know how to rock. It pours from his sweat, screams from his roar, and shows in his passion. For the three hours they're on stage, we all become part of his Foo family.

I did miss Taylor Hawkins. He was such a huge element of the Foo's live shows. His drumming was joyful and subtle, and he used amazing technique. He was even known to take over the lead vocals on occasion, with Dave swapping onto the drumkit. Josh Freese might be a great skin basher, sitting in Taylor's seat by necessity, but he hasn't filled the hole. Without Josh, though, there would have been no show.

With such a long set, there were inevitably lulls. Some of the more obscure numbers and newer songs will need to work hard to stay in the sets for subsequent tours, but it was nice to hear them play Skin and Bones. I still don't get the appeal of The Teacher from the recent album. It's way too long and downbeat—not exactly typical fare for an encore.

I took a few pics and some vids, straining my camera's zoom to the max. I kinda wished I'd had telephoto-zoom contact lenses myself to see the stage better. Thankfully, the large screens on either side displayed what was going on. The staging itself wasn't overly ornate. I'm not sure why they have so many television-size screens racked behind them. In such a huge venue, I could hardly see what images they displayed. I also couldn't tell if the disc logo that appeared mid-set was just on the screen or an actual prop. Probably the latter.

For once, the weather stayed dry, but once the sun went down, it was freezing in the Stand. A right chilly wind blew around us, so much so my hands were frozen and my thighs chittered. Clapping was a great way to warm your hands. I actually missed that sweaty heat you get from standing in the crowd.

However, despite a few reservations, this was still another amazing experience. Long live the Foos!

Setlist:

All My Life
No Son of Mine (with snippets of "Paranoid" by Black Sabbath and "Enter Sandman" by Metallica)
Rescued
The Pretender
Walk
Times Like These (Dave and Rami only into full band)
White Limo
La Dee Da
This Is a Call
Guitar Solo / Sabotage / Keyboard Solo / Flower of Scotland / Blitzkrieg Bop / Whip It / March of the Pigs
My Hero (acoustic into full band)
The Sky Is a Neighborhood
Learn to Fly
Arlandria
These Days
Skin and Bones (tour debut; acoustic with Rami on accordion)
Under You (Dave solo acoustic)
Ballad of the Beaconsfield Miners (acoustic into full band)
Nothing at All (with a snippet of "Blackbird" by The Beatles)
Unconditional
Monkey Wrench (with added audience “Here We Fucking Go” and “No Scotland No Party")
Show Me How (with Violet Grohl) (tour debut)
Aurora (dedicated to Taylor Hawkins)
Best of You

Encore:
The Teacher
Everlong

Ticket Price:

Artist Presale - Best Seat Experience £175.00 x2 = £350.00
Per Item Fees £11.80 (Service Charge Artist Presale - Best Seat Experience) x2 = £23.60
Order Processing Fees Handling Fee (£2.75) £2.75

Total £376.35