Smashing Mag/FOO FIGHTERS at Shinjuku Liquid Room(12th Sept '02)

**FOO FIGHTERS at Shinjuku Liquid Room(12th Sept '02)**
With some Zeppelin played suddenly pulled down and Dave emerging onstage with a crunchy repeating riff and a spotter just on him he looks intently into the crowd and speaks,"All my life I've been searching for something, something never comes, never leads to nothing, nothing satisfies, but I'm getting close," as the crowd cheers in anticipation as the remaining FOO FIGHTERS drop right in as the desired precision raw sonic bombing ensues as the crowd erupts in a frenzy with no end in sight. And we're off! Unveiling the new vitality of his FOO FIGHTERS in the intimate confines of Shinjuku's famed Liquid Room to a packed house eager to see what this foursome was up to lately. And in the midst of their slated late October release of their fourth studio album titled 'One by One,' Chris, Dave, Nate, and Taylor were here to literally set the record straight on who they were and what they were all about to all present. And how they did with an exclamation mark. Made all that more impressive for few people nor bands have had as many high profile dramas to deal with between the legacy of a previous super band laid to rest, but still resiliently monumental in stature despite thorny issues stemming from it, and a bandleader whose side project was of such magnitude as to question his devotion to the future of his own original project. Such being the case facing Dave Grohl and his fellow FIGHTERS as they sneaked into Tokyo for a one-off show of powerful intimacy. If anyone had before doubted Dave's allegiances and the band's cohesion, they were duly squashed as this 4-piece collective tore through 16 tracks of raw, rollicking, rock n' roll fun fantasy with material utilized from its previous three albums and sprinkled about with ones from its upcoming release as well.

As cataclysmic events themselves build and explode in a never ending flurry of beautiful intensity, so did the FOO FIGHTERS performance this night as they added individually and more importantly collectively throughout their nutritious set list. The collective of Chris Shiflett(G), Dave Grohl(V,G), Nate Mendel (B) and Taylor Hawkins(D) refused to let up from start to finish as to the testament to all present in the audience who were either fisting and/or singing along through each track. Even when upon new material, the FOO FIGHTERS faithful kept it moving giving Dave and company plenty of refueling throughout their hot off the blocks start and resonating finish. No matter the song, the choruses were in surround sound. So much so that already by the second cut of "Breakout" had Dave smiling back to his mates while he moved his outreached hand up and down towards the crowd,"You feel that?" A beaming Taylor directly acknowledged as he pounded away with his huge grin and head nodding. Yes indeed, this night there was a whole lotta shakin' going on.

Fierce and fun, inspiring and determined, loose, but precise, each FOO added their own creative devastating precision to the collective's arsenal of sound. Taylor once again showed his own maniacal style of holding the beat as Nate completed the foundation as his handiwork blended seamlessly and effortlessly together with Taylor's, yet still allowing room for the others to have their rightful place in the fold. There was absolutely no wash in sight and with attacking guitars courtesy of both Chris and Dave dueling and complimenting each other, their sound was complete. Chris' own meandering, yet well-defined and melodic chops were sprinkled by Dave's own axework as his vocal duties rang true as ever.

Despite Dave's fighting a slight cold and sporting a somewhat hoarse voice, it simply didn't matter: The FOO FIGHTERS were here at maximum firepower to end all discussions and rumors that definitely set the story straight again. Upon an early moment when Dave echoed,"My voice is a little fucked up, but I don't mind cuz...," a fan screamed in support,"We are here!" Immediately ignited by this sole voice, Dave simultaneously shot back with vigor and a grin, "You are here!" Ah yes, if that was the moment of internal uncertainty, that one fan quelled that feeling.

From that point on, The FOO's took complete command through both soon to be and old favorites. From new cuts like "Times like these" and "Disench" to regulars "Learn to fly", "This is a call", and "Monkeywrench." Even when slowing the tempo down, all in Liquid Room were fixated at watching this foursome display complete mastery of material and environment as if everyone was on the same joyride and as we were. After 14 non-stop cuts, they walked off and immediately the whole house chanted for their beloved heroes,"FOO FIGHTERS! FOO FIGHTERS! FOO FIGHTERS!" As they reemerged Dave performed a beautiful new acoustic diddy called "Tired." Tired? Hardly as they ended the night with a massive exclamation mark with a determined "Everlong." As no surprise, one look around in Liquid Room saw the entire room in complete jubilee. Forget "My hero", our heroes were back and in full bloom.

One heads up for you all: If you missed it, don't fret. Dave and company promised they'll be back in springtime and hopefully for another FUJI ROCK. Shall we be so fortunate? Hopefully so.

For the latest and greatest: www.foofighters.com

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