Again my original Music Monday plans (long overdue Favorite Songs of 2nd 1/4 of 2011) are foiled by a “current event” – but this time it’s good news.
In spring the Foo Fighters gave the gift of playing shows in the garages of lucky winners from all over the US and Canada.
Over the weekend a charming, rocking, not-overproduced 40-minute tour documentary with live cuts was released on YouTube under the name: Foo Fighters Garage Tour Full Length
Clearly the audiences were kept purposefully small (how did they keep the secret?) to maintain the personal “we’re just some guys playing in a garage for friends like we used to” feeling. The hosts, who had written letters to win a show at their house, are so stoked – one of them even gets to play on stage with the band.
Through all the antics with the “regular folks” (including getting a tractor stuck in the mud), Dave Grohl and his guys prove again that they are some of the most down-to-earth, likable and personable stars in the music world.
In addition to the official tour documentary, a bunch of people from the audience uploaded their own videos, which creates a whole other level of viewing as you pick and choose which points-of-view you want to see. Of course, those videos have been up since the days of the shows – so the devoted fans have probably already seen them.
Here are a few highlights:
The first show featured in the official full-length video
The last show featured in the official full-length video
Intro from the guy who ends up playing with the Foo Fighters
Obviously a dream coming true!
Surely in some way this is a marketing strategy – although I’m not sure if the Foo Fighters would need to do something like this. But the whole thing really comes across as a band of guys who really love playing music and are having an amazing time doing so right there on the same floor as their fans – and not always just on a huge stadium or festival stage. They have my respect.