Tickets on sale 10 a.m. Dec. 15

Amelia Calvert, reno.com
December 10, 2007

The Foo Fighters music is made to be played live. Whether delivering a quiet acoustic ballad or a banging out a rock 'n' roll song filled with big drum builds and cranking guitars, the music of The Foo Fighters sounds big, lives big and can fill the space of a large venue with the close-up sound and intimate feel of a club.

I saw Foo Fighters on the In Your Honor tour stop in Paris, France, at Le Zenith. The show was amazing. The venue was terrific, the crowd was enamored, the light show was out of this world, and lead singer Dave Grohl and band were spot on!

Six-thousand French fans (and two Americans that we know of ) were treated to some sort of escalating 'riff-off' between Grohl and guitarist, Chris Shiflett, with a lick-battle between the two guitars.

One player would toss out a riff, then the other would try to out-shine, adding to that lick, raising the bar higher and higher, building to a ridiculous fury of rhythm guitars. Each time their solos roared a little prouder; waxing, waning, reaching, bending, soaring, cranking and finally crashing like a rock 'n' roll wave over the crowd.

Dave Grohl, besides being a phenomenal drummer - as he has proven time and time again with Foo Fighters, Nirvana and guest stints with tons of bands such as Juliette and the Licks and Queens of the Stone Age - is also among rocks' greatest front men when he takes the stage.

Having passed the master skin-beater's torch to young Taylor Hicks, Grohl has developed his exceptional front-man talents and can engage the crowd with his earnest songwriting when he delivers an acoustic set, then, he immediately morphs into a powerful rock singer-guitarist - never missing a beat.

Ask a sprouting musician how hard it is to play guitar and sing at the same time and do either well. Never easy, the multi-talented Grohl has mastered both vocals and guitar - proving indeed he can sing, play and chew gum at the same time.

Not only is Grohl's musicianship up to snuff, he can also close the gap between audience and musicians quicker than you can say Wrigley's Doublemint...

Able to take music seriously enough to continually turn out great rock albums, (the latest Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace having been nominated for five Grammys,) Grohl and Co. don't take themselves so seriously they can't have fun with their songs.

Anyone who has seen or read an interview with Grohl knows he's quick-witted, funny and smart, and all those qualities show through in his stage banter with his musicians and the crowd.

One look at a Foo Fighters video - the funniest ones around - it's evident these fellas love getting a laugh, even at their own expense. In videos for Long Road to Ruin, Learn To Fly, Breakout , and Big Me Grohl and company dress as several characters in a scenario and deliver side-splitting delight, as they spoof pop culture, movies, television and commercials.

The albums and videos are great, but don't miss your chance to see the Foo Fighters really shine, on stage in live performance! Spend the evening of Feb. 1 with one of the best rock bands out there.

Discography
The Foo Fighters, 1995

The Color and the Shape, 1997

There is Nothing Left to Lose, 1999

One By One, 2002

In Your Honor, 2005

Skin and Bones, 2006

Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace, 2007

Grammy-nominated for Record of the Year, Pretender; Best Rock Song, Pretender; Best Rock Album and Best Hard Rock Performance.