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“We’re gonna bring you the rock and roll!” Dave Grohl bellowed two songs into Foo Fighters’ set at Lollapalooza on Sunday night (Aug. 1). This declaration wasn’t a surprise — it arrived as the band was tearing through a face-melting take on “The Pretender” — but also served as a reminder that Foo Fighters were the only rock-band main stage headliner of the 2021 festival, following Miley Cyrus, Tyler, The Creator and Post Malone at Grant Park in Chicago.
If the sound of Lollapalooza has shifted since the Foos last headlined in 2011 — along with bands like Muse and Coldplay — Grohl has remained the world’s most reliable rock band leader, ensuring a crowd-pleasing, hits-packed and highly spirited two hours to close out the weekend. Foo Fighters had been touring for over a month prior to the headlining performance, and that set was largely translated over to Lollapalooza, with a few personalized details but nothing too disruptive to the anthems. On a day that began with a major Lollapalooza act, DaBaby, being abruptly removed from the lineup due to recent homophobic remarks, Foo Fighters offered rock at its most dependable — with an inclusive message to boot (“Let me tell you something about Foo Fighters: we love and respect people in all walks of life,” Grohl told the crowd at one point).
To close out Lollapalooza 2021, here are the five best moments from Foo Fighters’ headlining set.
No Rain For ‘My Hero’
The last time Foo Fighters headlined Lollapalooza was in 2011, through a downpour: Grohl and co. played while trying in vain to stave off rain showers and watching mud cake onto their audience members. Credit to the band’s longevity and steady draw as a live act that, a decade later, they got to make up for it: Sunday night was slightly breezy but precipitation-free in Grant Park.
Grohl remarked on the clear skies and memories of rain before launching into “My Hero,” which rang out with special ferocity as the band laughed off the weather that was undoubtedly a major headache 10 years ago. Even surrounded by dramatic set highlights like “The Pretender,” “Best Of You” and “Overlong,” “My Hero” was one of Grohl’s most intense performances of the evening, triumphant in overcoming one Grant Park memory.
The Grohl Family Affair
Sunday happened to be the seventh birthday of Grohl’s daughter Ophelia, who was at Grant Park watching dad from a spot in the crowd — and as such, thousands of fans sang “Happy Birthday to You” to the blushing kid. Immediately after, Grohl’s 15-year-old daughter, Violet, appeared next to her father onstage, the frontman’s eldest child ready to rock out with some main-stage karaoke.
“She likes to listen to the same punk rock I like to listen to!” Grohl enthused, downright giddy with excitement to be joined by his daughter for the Lollapalooza special performance. Violet then took lead vocals on a cover of X’s “Nausea,” her snarl clearly influenced by that of her pops.
The Dave-Taylor Bromance
Part of the magic of watching a Foo Fighters set is gazing upon the adoration between Grohl and Taylor Hawkins, longtime bandmates with pinpoint intuition when it comes to each other’s movements. If Grohl needs to summon a momentum-shifting drum fill, Hawkins will happily oblige. When a song needs to sound more intimate, Hawkins will drop out and let Grohl handle the heavy lifting. Foo Fighters thrive on contrasting quiet-loud in concert, and it works because their most important players couldn’t be more in synch.
They make the mutual love explicit, too. Taking the mic from Grohl ahead of “Somebody To Love,” Hawkins talked about how much he learned from the Nirvana drummer, which Grohl modestly waved off. After Hawkins’ lone vocal performance on the Queen cover, Grohl crowed about his pal’s pipes. Foo Fighters have never been a one-man show, but as the big screens at Grant Park showed Grohl’s singing and Hawkins’ drumming in equal measure, the two anchors shone bright in between the flattery.
The Dee Gees’ Cameo
Midway through the band’s headlining set, Grohl told the crowd “it’s a whole new show now” as a disco ball descended. The subtle staging shift helped set the tone for an appearance from The Dee Gees’, the Foo’s new disco-inspired side project, which on July 17 released its debut Hail Satin, filled with four Bee Gees cover songs plus a rendition of Andy Gibb’s “Shadow Dancing.”
While Taylor Hawkins’ drum set — which prominently featured Barry Gibbs’ face — tipped fans off that this moment was coming, nothing could quite prepare the crowd for the band’s groovy take on “You Should Be Dancing.” Grohl said it best when he asked the crowd: “You know why? Because why the f–k not.”
The Light Flexing
For a band that welcomed full-capacity live music back to Madison Square Garden, and as a result became the face of live music’s return (which now seems threatened once again with the rise of the COVID-19 delta variant), there seemed to be knowing smiles on the band members’ faces about their rightful slot closing out the 30th anniversary of Lollapalooza — and the first major large-scale festival to come back.
As the only headliner to get a full two-hour set (compared to the 1 hour and 15 minutes the other three artists were allotted), Grohl let the audience know, “We’re just getting warmed up,” about 45 minutes in — i.e., when other headliners would usually have just a half hour left. He also made it clear why the band was worthy of the extra time, explaining that its discography spans 235 songs. Which is why each time he asked, “Do you want one more?” he flashed a knowing smile — fueling the idea that the Foos would have to be dragged offstage before calling it quits. But by 10 p.m. sharp, the band took its final bow and gave attendees a gift almost as fulfilling as an encore: an early Sunday night after four long days.
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Willie Nelson has criticised the development of data centres and encouraged communities to unite and “fight” the construction of the large server facilities.
The country music legend has supported environmental causes for decades and helped establish Farm Aid. For more than 40 years, the organisation has assisted local farmers while challenging the expansion of industrial farming operations that threaten family operated land.
On Tuesday, July 28, Nelson posted an open letter on social media condemning environmentally harmful data centres throughout the United States. He also drew attention to the serious effects these facilities can have on nature and nearby businesses.
“I grew up in Abbott, and I still have a home there with farmed land where I can still see stars at night,” his post began. “And now our community, like many others, needs to fight against data centres invading our land.”
Nelson described the facilities as “loud”, “water-thieving” and “light polluting”. He added that “the last thing we need” is to have them located “anywhere near our town (or any others for that matter)”.
“The strength of rural America has never come from big industrial footprints. It comes from generations of people, open spaces, local businesses, and a connection to the land,” he wrote, adding that the nation deserves “thoughtful stewardship that doesn’t steal farmland” and small family farms, “not data centers that only destroy the environment around them.”
Bringing his message to a close, Nelson wrote: “Whoever controls food and water, controls the masses. Let’s not allow our own demise or give up control over necessary resources in the US, and especially in Abbott”.
Concerns surrounding data centres are increasing across the United States because of the enormous quantities of water they consume, along with the land and electricity required to power AI services. Several areas around the country have already blocked or delayed new data centre projects in response to these issues.
According to Variety, Nelson has generated more than $70million (£52.6million) through Farm Aid to assist rural agricultural communities. He has also helped collect millions for military veterans, disaster survivors, and people experiencing hunger or homelessness.
Nelson released his latest project, ‘Dream Chaser’, in May, marking the 79th solo album of his career.
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