Foo Fighters Play in Rio de Janeiro at the Maracanã

By Chesney Hearst, Senior Contributing Reporter

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Fronted by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, the American rock band Foo Fighters will perform live at Rio de Janeiro’s famed soccer (football) stadium, Estádio do Maracanã tonight, Sunday January 25th. The show is part of the Sonic Highways World Tour, in support of the band’s eighth studio album of the same name.

Released last year on November 10th, Sonic Highways features eight tracks, each recorded in an American city with a rich musical history. The tracks correspond with the HBO documentary television series, Sonic Highways which featured episodes shot in the eight American cities of Chicago, Washington D.C., Nashville, Austin, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Seattle and New York.

The Foo Fighters are now touring cities around the world, performing those songs and many of the hits they produced during the last two decades. Grohl created the Foo Fighters a little over twenty years ago in 1994 in Seattle, Washington, USA, following the death Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain.

Started as a solo, one-man project with Grohl playing all instruments and providing vocals, the Foo Fighters gradually grew into a band, with current members including guitarist Chris Shiflett, bassist Nate Mendel, guitarist Pat Smear, and drummer Taylor Hawkins. Grohl, often referred to as the “The Nicest Guy in Rock,” maintained his as guitarist and vocalist.

During the band’s twenty year history, they have won eleven Grammy Awards including Best Rock Album in 2001, 2004, 2008 and 2012 for the albums There Is Nothing Left to Lose, One by One, Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace and Wasting Light, respectively.

Last in Brazil in 2012 for that year’s Lollapalooza music festival in São Paulo, the Foo Fighters began the Brazilian leg of this tour by playing to a sold-out crowd of 30,000 people in Porto Alegre on Wednesday, January 21st.

Next, they returned to São Paulo on Friday, January 23rd, to perform to a crowd of approximately 55,000 fans.

Both shows reportedly lasted from two and a half to three hours and featured covers of songs by Queen and Kiss, among others. Known to be energetic, the sets also featured the Foo Fighters’ hits including “Learn to Fly”, “My Hero,” “Best of You”, and “Generator.” They closed both nights with their massive hit “Everlong.”

Following the Rio show tonight, the Foo Fighters will make their final stop in Brazil during this tour in Belo Horizonte on Wednesday, January 28th.

Who: Foo Fighters
When: Sunday January 25th.
Where: Estádio do Maracanã
Entrance: R$200-R$600