Foo Fighters Turn Marvel Stadium Into Their Own Rock ‘n’ Roll Playground
Foo Fighters returned to Melbourne on Saturday night, bringing their Take Cover Australian tour to Marvel Stadium. Having toured Australia 16 times throughout their career, Dave Grohl made it clear just how much the band loves coming back, telling the Melbourne crowd how many generations of Australian fans they have seen along the way.
“Are you ready? It’s gonna be a long night!” Grohl screamed as the band launched into “All My Life”, setting the tone for what would be three hours of back-to-back hits, deep cuts, and extended instrumental jams.
Grohl was straight into his usual frontman antics, working the crowd through the opening breakdown of “All My Life” with the crowd clapping in unison during the breakdown.
Stroking his beard, the band launched into “The Pretender”, with Grohl encouraging the crowd to wave their arms before declaring “Melbourne is the rock ‘n’ roll town!” The band briefly diverted into AC/DC’s “Riff Raff” before launching back into the song. It was a fitting nod to Australia’s rock heritage and further bolstered the energy in the stadium.
“Times Like These” and “Of All People” continued the opening run before Grohl announced “Stacked Actors” as a song for the old school fans. “My Hero” provided one of the night’s big singalong moments, with the crowd taking over the breakdown chant before “Learn to Fly” kept things moving.
As the band moved through “These Days”, thousands of phone torches illuminated the stadium, creating a sea of lights across the crowd. “Walk” and “This Is a Call” followed, before “No Son of Mine” delivered another heavy dose of guitar-driven rock. They took the opportunity to launch into a riff heavy snippet of Motörhead’s “Ace of Spades”, while drummer Ilan Rubin delivered a thunderous display on his kit.
The band then made their way down the catwalk to a smaller B-stage for a change of pace. The roughly 20-minute interlude offered a reprieve from the wall of sound, opening with “Wheels”. Grohl also reached back into his musical history with “Marigold”, a nod to his time with Nirvana, before “Big Me” brought out the band’s lighter side. “Under You” followed with Grohl performing solo, providing a more intimate moment in the middle of a stadium-sized show.
Returning to the main stage, the band picked up the pace with “Your Favorite Toy”, “Arlandria” and “Run”. An extended medley brought together snippets of songs connected to the individual band members’ previous musical projects, giving everyone an opportunity to showcase their musical backgrounds. Rubin delivered a ripping guitar solo as part of the sequence, adding another unexpected element to the performance.
“Monkey Wrench” was another highlight, with the band stretching the song into an extended instrumental section that eventually led into an epic drum solo from Rubin. “Breakout” brought things back to the old school catalogue, keeping the momentum going before the band moved into “Window”.
“Aurora” was a particularly poignant moment, dedicated to the late Taylor Hawkins. Accompanied by dreamlike visuals, the performance offered a reminder of the band’s history and the drummer who played an integral part in its journey.
By the time “Best of You” arrived, the stadium was ready for another big moment. Grohl’s opening screams immediately lifted the intensity, with the crowd also singing along with the familiar “Woah” chants. An extended jam between Grohl and Rubin gradually built in intensity, allowing the song to develop beyond its recorded arrangement.
The encore opened with Gerry Rafferty’s “Baker Street”, before “Hey, Johnny Park!”, “Exhausted” and the inevitable “Everlong” brought the main performance to a close.
Foo Fighters remain a well-oiled rock machine. What makes them particularly impressive is their ability to make a stadium show feel as though they’re playing with the same intensity and spontaneity you’d expect from a pub gig. Grohl’s interaction with the audience, the musicianship across the band and the extended arrangements all contribute to a performance that never feels overly rehearsed.
The band’s performance stamina is equally impressive. From the opening moments of “All My Life” through to the final notes of “Everlong”, there was barely a let-up in intensity. To maintain that level of energy and musicianship for three hours is an incredible effort, and there aren’t many bands that could match it. The extended jams, unexpected covers and acoustic interlude all helped keep the performance interesting, while the variations to the core setlist gave the show a sense of spontaneity that’s becoming increasingly rare in large-scale stadium productions.
After 16 tours of Australia, it’s clear the Foo Fighters still love playing here, and judging by the response from the Melbourne crowd, the feeling is mutual. Three hours, more than 30 years of music and a band that shows no signs of slowing down.
Photography: Nate Hill
Words: Darren Chan
