Foo Fighters Blast Open D.C. Club The Atlantis With Raging Show Featuring Scream Reunion, Taylor Hawkins Song Dedication
Dave Grohl went back home on Tuesday night (May 31) to play a very special show at the new Washington, D.C. venue: The Atlantis. The 450-capacity room is a replica of the city’s legendary 9:30 Club, which during its heyday hosted everyone from hometown heroes Fugazi to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, R.E.M., Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana and even Bob Dylan.
But on Tuesday night, the Foo Fighters took a break from playing arenas to set up shop at the cozy club for a 22-song, two-hour set that opened with an onstage reunion between Grohl and his former Scream bandmate Pete Stahl, according to Consequence of Sound. The old friends played “Live at the Atlantis,” a song by another D.C. bold name, hardcore legends Bad Brains, before the FF dipped into a mostly greatest hits set.
The set also included Grohl’s daughter and frequent backup singer Violet singing on “Shame Shame” and “Rope,” as well as 9:30 Club owner Seth Hurwitz joining the band to drum on “Big Me. CoS reported that Grohl referred to his days as a teen attending shows at the old 9:30, which he never played, but which new drummer Josh Freese had with his band, the Vandals, as had keyboardist Rami Jaffee with the Wallflowers.
At one point Grohl thanked the crowd for helping the Foos carry on following the tragic death of beloved drummer Taylor Hawkins last year at age 50, and then dedicated a performance of “Aurora” to his late best friend and bandmate.
NBC 4 reported that Grohl and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser attended a grand opening ceremony where Hurwitz cut a guitar string at the venue’s door to christen the new club on the location of the original, which first opened in 1980. Hurwitz also helped unveil a life-size statue of Grohl made of found objects. “I got to witness hundreds of bands that inspired me to become a musician myself,” Grohl said during the ceremony, adding that seeing those show gave him “that feeling of being in this sort of tribe, like we were all in on this big secret.”
“Dave won’t just be christening the room – he’ll be honoring the legacy of a space he attended as a kid and later took the stage of with bands like Scream and Nirvana,” The Atlantis said in a statement. The $10-million club will host a series of other underplays this year as part of its grand opening celebration, including shows from Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Parliament Funkadelic and Barenaked Ladies.
The Foos are slated to play at Germany’s Rock Am Ring Festival on June 2.
Check out some video from the show below.
Gil Kaufman
Billboard
