August 13, 2026 – Foo Fighters took the stage at Lincoln Financial Field at 8:05 p.m. for what would become an incredible night of rock and roll. Following opening sets from Mannequin Pussy and Queens of the Stone Age, Dave Grohl and Foo Fighters — guitarists Chris Shiflett and Pat Smear, bassist Nate Mendel, keyboardist Rami Jaffee, and drummer Ilan Rubin — were greeted by a packed stadium of nearly 70,000 fans.
Photography & Review by Steve Cerf @stevecerf
From the opening notes of the 2002 hit “All My Life,” Grohl and the band came out at full force. They kept it going with “The Pretender,” “Times Like These,” “Rope” and “Stacked Actors” before launching into “My Hero.” Grohl’s boundless energy and genuine connection with the audience were on display from the start as he joked with the crowd and led sing-alongs that turned the stadium into a sea of voices.
The band looked like they were having a blast as they moved through tracks from their entire catalog. Grohl and the rest of the band hit Lincoln Financial Field with everything they had, straight-up rocking the hell out of the packed stadium. The hits continued with “Learn to Fly,” “These Days,” “Walk” and “This Is a Call.”
Shiflett, Smear, Mendel, Jaffee and Rubin each had their chance to shine. Rubin has one of the hardest jobs in the band, sitting behind the drum kit once occupied by Taylor Hawkins. He handled it incredibly well, bringing tremendous energy without missing a step. He was never afraid to go big with an end-of-song drum solo on “Monkey Wrench.” Onstage, the band’s chemistry seemed as strong as ever, possibly more so.
About halfway through the show, the band moved to the B-stage. “Wheels” was performed acoustically after a marriage proposal in the audience, followed by “Marigold” and “Big Me.” Grohl then performed “Under You” solo before the full band returned. Surprisingly, only one track from this year’s Your Favorite Toy album made the cut during the nearly three-hour show. The album’s title track was buried deep in the set. With the album released just a few months ago, I expected to hear more of the new material.
Later in the show, the band introductions turned into something completely different. They played pieces of songs connected to their musical backgrounds, including “Invincible,” “Seven,” “One Headlight,” “Manimal” and “Tap Dancing in a Minefield.” During the last song, Grohl went back behind the drums while Rubin picked up a guitar.
One of the night’s most emotional moments came late in the show when Grohl dedicated “Aurora” to Taylor Hawkins. Since Hawkins’ death in March 2022, Foo Fighters have regularly performed “Aurora” in his memory. The crowd grew quietly as the band played it. Hawkins’ death devastated the rock world, but the night wasn’t only about loss. It was also about the joy of making music, connecting with fans and continuing forward. With his hair drenched in sweat and his voice still as powerful as ever, Grohl gave everything he had while the rest of the band showed no signs of slowing down.
The band returned for the encore with “The Teacher,” from their 2023 album But Here We Are. Grohl dedicated the song to his late mother, Virginia.“Everlong” was the only way to end the night. As Grohl sang the opening lines, the crowd joined in before the full band kicked in. Fireworks lit up the sky as Foo Fighters brought the two-hour-and-55-minute show to a close.
Foo Fighters are an amazing live band. They barely stopped, never seemed to run out of energy and straight-up rocked the hell out of Lincoln Financial Field. After more than 30 years, they remain one of rock’s biggest live bands.
It was one of the best sets I’ve seen this year.
