A sold-out crowd of 7,000 bodies, all rubbing against each other, welcomed the Foo Fighters to Binghamton University.
“I love sweaty dudes who say they love me,” David Grohl said, flashing a grin and looking out at the crowd of people packed into BU’s Events Center on Friday.
Despite this weekend’s poor weather, fans still turned out for the show.
Against Me! started off promptly at 7:30 p.m. with bright lights shining down on them. The band performed their single “Stop” with a snarling white tiger as the back drop.
Shortly after, Serj Tankian’s unique voice screeched into the air from a dimly lit stage.
Tankian, lead singer of System of a Down, exclaimed, “Say hello to the flying cunts of chaos!”
Singing his hit “Empty Walls,” Tankian resembled a modern day Mad Hatter in his white suit and top hat.
At around 9 p.m. a blue silhouette was created, as Grohl sang, building the momentum. He screamed into the microphone and the crowd blew up in anticipation.
“Let It Die” from their new album, “Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace,” kicked off the night. The song’s slow opening built to a fast pace and that really got the crowd going.
During the song “Times Like These” Grohl ran down the catwalk coming from the middle of the stage. Pointing to the audience, playing his guitar, Grohl’s long, untamed hair couldn’t hide his smile and excitement.
In a black shirt and jeans, Grohl was right in his element.
“It was incredible,” said Dave Bolatin a sophomore psychology and business major. “I like that he made a connection.”
After playing “Breakdown,” Grohl addressed the audience and mentioned this was the Foo Fighters’ first trip to Binghamton.
“I didn’t think there would be this many of you,” said Grohl. “We have a lot of catching up to do.”
Stating that he was a high school dropout, Grohl offered words of advice: “Stay in school. Don’t do drugs. Brush your fucking teeth. Three times a day. Drink your milk. Learn to fly.”
Angelo Barberio, a sophomore psychology major, said he could tell there was chemistry between the crowd and the band.
“He was playing to the audience,” said Barberio. “He was having a good time.”
Following the new song “Cheer Up Boys, Your Makeup is Running”, Grohl and guitarist Chris Shiflett engaged in a guitar battle.
“Skin and Bone” began the acoustic set Grohl promised at the beginning of the show. He then attempted The Beatles’ “Blackbird.”
“Once I learn how to play that we’ll come back and play all Beatles’ songs,” he said.
Grohl took this break to introduce the other members of the band: Taylor Hawkins on drums, bassist Nate Mendel, and guitarist Shiflett. Hawkins then took over on vocals.
“It’s pretty awesome that all these people came out to see us,” he said.
“Monkey Wrench” was the final song of the night, with the crowd’s energy was overpowering.
The lights went down again and the audience begged for one more song.
Then, the Foo Fighters were back on stage.
“We’re all going to dance our fucking asses off,” Grohl shouted.
Everyone in the crowd was moving as “All My Life” was performed.
At the conclusion of the show, concertgoers echoed the statements of Dara Freeman, a senior English and Italian major.
“I liked the show,” Freeman said. “[Grohl] made it personal and talked to us.”
With tickets selling out the day before, the Student Association considered it a success.
“We broke about even,” David Belsky, the SA’s director of communications said. “The point is to just have a good time.”
It is the largest performance hosted by BU since Green Day in 2005. But for many, the Foos were more enjoyable than Green Day.
“It’s better than Green Day because we have everything under control,” Belsky said.
Garrett Dorfman, concert chair of the SA’s Programming Board, said that Green Day was his first show at Binghamton but that this concert was a definite contrast.
“The bands have been great,” said Dorfman. “Everyone’s been cooperative.”
With shows this successful, BU can look forward to more concerts of this size in the future.
As Grohl put it, “You seem like nice, lovely people.”