Foo Fighters Rock The Atlantis with a Spectacular Debut Show

On Tuesday, Dave Grohl went back to his old stomping grounds in Washington, DC to help launch The Atlantis, a new 450-person capacity replica venue of the original 9:30 Club. The Foo Fighters, led by Grohl, became the first band to rock the stage at The Atlantis, and they delivered a thrilling 22-song, two-hour performance.

In keeping with the occasion, Dave Grohl and Pete Stahl, his former bandmate in the DC hardcore band Scream, reunited to open the show. They collaborated to perform the Bad Brains song "Live at The Atlantis." Following that, the Foo Fighters began a performance that mostly included their best hits along with a few more surprises.

After dedicating "Break Me" by the Foo Fighters to Foghat, Grohl was able to include a few lines from "Slow Ride." He recruited buddy and 9:30 Club owner Seth Hurwitz to play the drums on "Big Me," and he allowed his daughter Violet Grohl to sing on "Shame Shame" and Rope. Later, Grohl revived "New Way Home," which had only been performed twice since 2011, as an homage to the band's debut.

Throughout the performance, Grohl recalled his adolescent years spent going to punk concerts at the old 9:30 Club. He waxed lyrical about never having the chance to perform at the venue himself and was startled to discover that Pat Smear had the same experience. Only two current Foo Fighters members actually performed at the first 9:30 Club: Rami Jaffe with The Wallflowers and Josh Freese with Vandals.

Grohl was particularly upbeat when surrounded by his pals in a room. He regularly singled out specific spectators and expressed gratitude to the whole crowd for giving the Foo Fighters the will to continue after the terrible death of drummer Taylor Hawkins the previous year. Another high point of the evening was a rendition of "Aurora," a song dedicated to the late Foo Fighters drummer.

While Grohl's vocals were excellent the entire evening, they truly shone during the songs "All My Life" and "Best of You." It also shouldn't be shocking to learn that Freese was a true beast on the drums, making an impact on songs like "Rope" and "Monkey Wrench."

Finally, just a little word on The Atlantis: it's fantastic. Excellent sightlines can be found throughout the whole auditorium, and the lighting and acoustics are both excellent.