Hellfest 2024 | Day 4
The sun shines again in Clisson and after a though rainy Saturday we have a final day full of expectations… today’s choice is short but sweet. Very sweet indeed.
First up we had Royal Blood gracing the main stage with their unorthodox style, the English two piece have a very specific sound that makes them immediately recognisable. With riffs new and old they entertained us with music rather than onstage theatrics but it works and the crowd sing along the riffs and the lyrics were possible. Spot on for a sunny afternoon in the arena. Perfect.
Corey Taylor (AKA CMFT) brings his solo project but with nods to his other musical endeavours we are treated to a perfectly curated set that includes the best of Stone Sour with a couple of face melting choices from his Slipknot back catalogue. Pair that with a very charismatic front man and you have probably one of the top acts of the weekend. What and absolute smash at pit level, and more importantly at full site level. Everybody is on form, dancing, headbanging, crowdsurfing… the lot. One of our fave’s.
Queens of the Stone Age (AKA QOTSA) do what the do, launching us to a desert rock paradise, fuzzy guitar riffs and dirty vocals are perfection for what is turning into a brilliant afternoon. They do have plenty of singalongs as they deliver the hits. Josh Homme is a laid back character onstage while in between songs but extremely intense while performing those songs to the point of getting his shirt ripped while mingling with the crowd, they adore him. His suave persona shrugs the shirt issue and he returns to deliver the final blow. Absolutely magnificent show shame it wasn’t a little bit longer.
The Offspring keep doing what they do and they have down the Pop/Punk thing to a T. They have so many singalongs that even the people not really familiar with them recognise them. They are literally fun wrapped up in guitar riffs. The dynamic between Dexter and Noodles transcends time as they are probably more family that band mates by now. Brilliant celebration of music through the ages all the way back from the nineteen hundreds…. Oh dear did I just typed that?
And the final act of this brilliant weekend, the Foo Fighters.
Dave Grohl is simply one of the most important musicians of this generation. His frontman persona is aggressive, driven and resilient, his songwriting persona show vulnerability and wisdom, he really is a icon. Ahh he also played drums in another band in the nineties, talented chap.
The band is a perfect balance of sounds ranging from Pat Smear guitars, to Shifty’s leads. Rami’s addition to the band has given them another dimension with pianos and keyboard sounds. And even though we no longer have Taylor on drums, Josh Freese is probably the perfect solution to their conundrum. But it is down to Nate and his bass lines that this band lives, he is as important to the Foo’s sound as Dave is.
They played a selected set as the crowd is obviously a mix of Foo fans and casual metal festival goers, so it was all about hits and hard hitting songs from their catalogue. The hits are singalongs for all ages but the harder riffs resonate with the crowd, as there is plenty of pits.
As the final notes of Everlkong ring on the arena we are left with the feeling that this band is at the top of their powers and they are just getting started, and yes they do play their instruments live, no tapes, no help, unlike other acts from the pop/country world. Long live the guitar riff!!
Foo Fighters setlist
All My Life
No Son of Mine
The Pretender
Walk
Times Like These
White Limo
Stacked Actors
Breakout
My Hero
The Sky Is a Neighborhood
Learn to Fly
Arlandria
These Days
Guitar Solo / Sabotage / Mr. Crowley / Paranoid / March of the Pigs
Monkey Wrench
Best of You
The Teacher
Everlong