Foo Fighters review – beloved rockers thunder back from

Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester
The pain of losing drummer Taylor Hawkins is still audible in some of these songs, but the band’s togetherness is plainly stronger than ever

Just over two years after the shattering and untimely death of drummer Taylor Hawkins left them facing trauma and turmoil, Foo Fighters deliver a two-and-a-half-hour-plus masterclass in how to put the show back on the road. “Do y’all love rock’n’roll music?” yells Dave Grohl as Monkey Wrench starts proceedings with a level of intensity they maintain all night. “In times like these you learn to live again,” he sings a few moments later, the song’s extended voice and guitar intro emphasising the lyric’s extra poignancy.

Onstage, the band’s togetherness and chemistry seems as strong as ever, possibly more so. Despite the grey skies and early downpours, the wet and windswept frontman puts everything into his vocals while stage right, rhythm guitarist Pat Smear – who first played with Grohl in Nirvana – still beams from ear to ear like he has the best job in the world. Before Aurora, their late bandmate’s favourite song, the singer reveals they still “tell Taylor Hawkins stories all day”.