Live review: Foo Fighters in Sydney

November 15, 2026

Tassie three piece TEENS kicked things off with the kind of untamed, garage to stadium energy that makes grassroots Aussie punk feel so raw and real. They played like they were soundtracking a pub brawl for themselves, channelling a chaos that felt like IDLES, if IDLES were a bunch of Aussies. The front of house engineer had the Valhalla reverb cranked right up on the mix bus, giving their set a massive, cavernous wall of sound, while the bassist rocked his strap pulled way up high with pure punk confidence, feeding straight into their raw, unfiltered charm.

It’s great to see a band as big as the Foo Fighters give grassroots Aussie music a shot on a stage this size. They transitioned from fast paced headbangers to sludgy, heavy riffs, and the whole thing felt like a solid nod to the gritty old school Foo Fighters ethos.

Melbourne’s THE BELAIR LIP BOMBS shifted gears completely as the main support. The four piece brought a feel good, nostalgic soft rock energy that soared right from the start. They had this incredibly unassuming, humble presence, almost bordering on looking bored, yet the attitude was right on the money. It was the kind of soundtrack you’d slow dance to at a fairy festival or hear playing over the climax of an indie coming of age film. They even managed to throw in a genuinely crazy bass solo to get people moving. As the stadium slowly filled up, the swell of their set grew right alongside it, proving once again why it matters so much when stadium headliners hand local Aussie bands this kind of platform.

When the FOO FIGHTERS finally hit the stage, the energy in the room shifted entirely. It was pure, unadulterated rock and roll from the very first second. Dave Grohl didn’t miss a single beat and came out literally swinging, tearing into an intro scream with the relentless, unhinged stamina of a man half his age who still bleeds, breathes and sweats for his craft. Tossing an AC/DC cover straight into The Pretender, he immediately had the entire stadium in the palm of his hand, sprinting the catwalk and reminding everyone exactly why we were there: “We came here because we love rock and roll music.” The guitars were loud, the mix was dialled in perfectly, and the crowd completely lost it.

Behind the kit, Jon Theodore was an absolute monster. The ex Mars Volta drummer is more than just holding his own; he drives that massive, untamed live jam energy you really only get from a legacy band like this. Alongside him, the rest of the band locked into a groove that felt both tight and dangerously loose. The setlist was a sprawling, dynamic 3 hour marathon that pulled effortlessly from the old school grunge days to their shiny new school anthems. Somehow, they maintained that frantic, first song adrenaline all the way through to the end. Every single track was delivered with the weight of a massive set closer. When the opening chords of My Hero rang out, it triggered a deafening stadium wide singalong that echoed off the concrete.

Now 31 years in and on their 16th Australian tour, Grohl took plenty of time to pay tribute to the crowd. He pointed out a pretty wild stat: Australia actually boasts their youngest generation of fans globally, which perfectly explained the mix of seasoned rockers and absolute kids packing the barricade. They kept everyone on their toes with a setlist full of stylistic left turns. One minute you’re getting hit with a soaring stadium anthem, and the next they’re ripping into a sick, heavy Motörhead homage that showcased just how much they still love playing fast and loud. Every band member got their own distinct moment to shine, paying tribute to past bands and proving this is a collective rock force, not just the Dave Grohl show.

The acoustic portion of the night brought a different kind of magic. It opened with a characteristically witty Grohl speech about acoustic guitars versus radio hits, before quickly getting derailed by a medical emergency in the crowd. Instead of awkward dead air or killing the momentum, the band handled it with total class. They casually played Stairway to Heaven as a cheeky meme while genuinely watching out for the fan in trouble. It was a surreal but touching moment, letting Rami Jaffee on the Mellotron play out the ambos and security as they safely resolved the situation before getting back to business.

The back half of the set was packed with the kind of fun, spontaneous antics that make a Foo Fighters gig feel completely unique. We got a random Mentos eating contest, a cheeky Nirvana cover dedicated specifically to Aussie punk legends The Hard Ons, and an unexpected No Use For a Name cover thrown into the mix just for the real ones. Grohl also stripped things back for a deeply emotional, dedicated performance of the Ballad of the Beaconsfield Miners for Todd Russell, giving a massive stadium show a genuinely touching local moment.

The emotional weight of the night really hit hard near the end during an absolutely massive rendition of Best of You. It served as a beautiful, deeply felt tribute to their late drummer Taylor Hawkins. Watching the band pour everything into that track while the stadium screamed the chorus back at them was a heavy, unforgettable moment that brought the whole room together and honored his legacy in the best way possible.

Of course, they saved the biggest punch for last. They closed it all out with Everlong, leaving absolutely nothing in the tank. They unleashed a wall of sound so massive and triumphant that the final chorus could honestly be heard from six suburbs over. It was the perfect cap to the night, proving exactly why they remain one of the absolute best live bands on the planet.

Review by Rory Maclean.