Foo Fighters release their ninth studio album, Concrete And Gold, today, following the 2015 EP Saint Cecilia as well as the 2014 Sonic Highways HBO show and attendant album.
The 11-track set features contributions by Paul McCartney, Justin Timberlake, Boyz II Men’s Shawn Stockman, Alison Mosshart of the Kills and Dead Weather, and saxophonist Dave Koz, but despite the guest list group founder and leader Dave Grohl tells us that the Foos never waver from being a tightly knit band:
“I think we’re closer now and have more fun doing this than we ever have…At this point we’ve assumed this working dynamic. Everybody in the band takes care of a specific role and responsibility. Taylor Hawkins is great at arrangement and big stadium endings. Pat Smear is the guru. Nate Mendel is the barometer, sense of reason. Chris Shiflett is like the mechanic and I’m the fucking cheerleader that’s dancing around in front of everyone with pom-pons, like, ‘Hey guys, I’ve got another idea!’ It honestly works that way.”
The Foos celebrate the album’s release with a five-day pop-up pub in London that opens tonight and play the city’s O2 Arena on Sept. 19. The group’s North American tour starts October 7 at the Cal Jam in San Bernardino, Calif.
Gary Graff is an award-winning music journalist who not only covers music but has written books on Bob Seger, Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen.
