The Foo Fighters are one of the world’s most enduring bands and have developed a love affair with Australia, having toured multiple times in recent years, including an exclusive show in Launceston earlier in the year as well as multiple stadium gigs. For this tour, they are travelling around the entire country, bringing their music to stadiums for an extravaganza of a show.

With Accor Stadium a key stop on their tour, there was plenty of anticipation surrounding the band’s return to Sydney. As the show kicked off, however, the stadium was not full, with probably around 50,000 people in attendance (by a very rough and cursory glance). Although this was a large audience, it felt somewhat sparse and cavernous in the huge Accor Stadium, with pockets of empty seats quite visible but it mattered not for the crowd who filled the whole venue with their cheers when the band took to the stage.

Attention was immediately on frontman Dave Grohl, who showed off his impeccable guitar skills with some intense solos. The first half of the set was lengthy but featured some of the band’s biggest hits, with a powerful extended rendition of “My Hero” being an early highlight before the band moved into “Learn to Fly”, which they performed very well. There were some nice touches throughout the opening section, with Grohl incorporating an Aussie AC/DC twist into “The Pretender” and the energy was extremely high with Grohl’s raspy vocals in full form and the crowd embracing the music and having a fantastic time.

“We’ve got three f***ing hours to play all the songs we can,” screamed Grohl to the audience.

Things slowed down as the band took to the B-stage and Grohl and the group played some acoustic hits, including “Wheels” and “Marigold”, which was a nice contrast to the earlier rock and heavy rock stylings of the initial part of the set. The band also performed a snippet of Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” while a member of the audience received medical attention, with Grohl using the opportunity to keep the crowd entertained while allowing the situation to be dealt with. It was a treat to hear one of the greatest bands tackling one of the greatest songs and the sea of camera phones up in the air were a testament to this.

“How about we come down every other year for the rest of our years,” asked Grohl to agreement from the crowd. “Australia f***ing loves rock’n’roll.”

There were some hilarious moments as well, with Grohl encouraging a member of the audience to down an entire packet of Mentos during “Big Me”, which he did before chugging a bottle of beer. As the man looked increasingly sick, Grohl wondered if it would have the same effect as if Mentos were put in Coke but the fan managed to hold everything in and enjoyed the rest of the concert from side stage, which was a nice touch and a great moment of engagement.

“This might be the funnest show we’ve ever played in this f***ing city.”

After some of the slower hits, though, the concert began to stall a little as the band played some more of their deep cuts, which lost the audience at times in a set that spanned nearly three hours. Such lengthy acoustic numbers and solos for every member of the band did feel a little indulgent but the musicianship and skill on show was extremely high with each member of the band showing off their abilities. It was a shame that the sound felt a little muffled at times, with a really dull bass and piercing treble causing problems as the set continued. That said, everything the band touched turned to gold, with a highlight being an extraordinary drum solo from Grohl which had the crowd going wild.

The concert also had some particularly emotional moments, with Grohl performing “Ballad of the Beaconsfield Miners” solo on the acoustic guitar. It was a show of great respect that he dedicated the performance to Todd Russell who had sadly passed away earlier that day. It was a particularly poignant moment and a touching tribute given the history between the band and the Beaconsfield Miners, who famously requested Foo Fighters music while trapped during the 2006 mine collapse and who Grohl developed a relationship with over the years.

With a few stoppages due to crowd illness, the band were pushing up against the curfew, leading them to cut part of their planned encore. However, they still performed two of their biggest songs late in the set in “Best of You” and “Everlong”. Through the nearly three-hour spectacle, the crowd stayed which meant that there was a great atmosphere as Grohl sang the big notes in “Everlong” and the crowd sang back, while he showed off his wonderful guitar skills one last time, which was a great way to close out a superb night of music.

Overall, this was a great show with incredible displays of musicianship on show, as well as a setlist that gave Foo Fighters fans everything they wanted and more. While the lengthy set did occasionally lose momentum, there was no shortage of memorable moments, with the band demonstrating why they remain one of the most enduring live acts in the world. It is a show of respect and indeed a testament to his character that Grohl and his band played for nearly three hours when they arguably didn’t have to and this was appreciated by all in the audience. All in all, a fabulous night and a great show to kick off Sydney’s summer of stadium concerts.

Rating: ★★★★1/2

Foo Fighters – 10 November 2026 – Accor Stadium

All photo credits: Ashley Mar