Much is the same, then, but so much has changed, too – and it’s in the latter half of the set that those painful losses are addressed. The death of Taylor Hawkins is never far from the mind of anyone on or offstage, because the expansive atmosphere naturally evokes memories of the man who embodied big show energy. Hearing Dave introduce Aurora as “Taylor Hawkins’ favourite Foo Fighters song” therefore brings a lump to the throat. But that sadness turns to joy later with the appearance of the late drummer’s son, Shane, switching places with Josh behind the kit for a thunderous I’ll Stick Around. “Jesus, I feel like I just took a ride in a Ferrari for three-and-a-half minutes,” Dave exclaims, clearly as blown away by the powerhouse performance as the rest of us.
Unsurprisingly, two songs from 5/5-rated 11th album, But Here We Are, that address the loss of Dave’s mother, Virginia, are among the evening’s most affecting moments.
You may recall in the 2011 documentary Skin And Bones there’s a moment when Dave is recording These Days, itself a song about the spectre of death written in tribute to the fans who lost their lives at Belgium’s Pukkelpop festival. As Dave focuses, he’s approached by his young daughter, Violet, who whispers a reminder of his promise to take her swimming that day. Looking back, it’s a reminder to us all that life is a shuffled deck of moments, happy and sad.
Thirteen years on, witnessing 18-year-old Violet joining Dave onstage for Show Me How, about the passing of the torch when time’s tide takes those we care about away from us carries a weight of significance that even this stadium struggles to house. As the voices of father and daughter mesh perfectly over a new wave guitar sound that recalls I’m In Love With A German Film Star by The Passions, you’re struck by the stillness as 62,000 people realise that moments like this are exactly that – moments – and to be cherished. Show Me How clearly wasn’t written with venues this size in mind – it’s far too personal for that – but it’s proof that raw relatability is as powerful an agent as rock, even if it doesn’t elicit the same kinetic response.