Grohl, Foo Fighters rock hard during Boston show

I had always heard the Foo Fighters — the rock band fronted by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl — were simply amazing in concert. Having never been a so-called ‘super-fan’ of the boys, they weren’t necessarily on the top of my “Must-See-in-Concert” list. But over the years, I’ve realized how consistent yet innovative the Foo Fighters were — hit after hit they always made it work, all while sticking to their rock n’ roll roots.

And so, when I saw tickets go on sale in July for their latest tour, I decided ‘What the heck?’ What made the idea of purchasing tickets even easier was the fact that they would be playing at the one-and-only TD Garden in Boston. That place was made for rock shows — and Celtics and Bruins games, of course.

The show kicked off at 7 p.m. — to a somewhat empty arena — with a band from Wales called The Joy Formidable. Rock n’ roll to the core, this trio performed their hearts out for six songs, including the radio-friendly hit “Whirring.” Lead singer Ritzy Bryan sure knows how to shred, and it’s too bad there weren’t more people in the arena to enjoy the intense performance.

Following suit was the legendary punk band Social Distortion. Despite an ever-revolving door of band members, Social D — with its originator, singer Mike Ness — has been in the game for the last 25 years.

Playing songs from way-back-when such as “Mommy’s Little Monster” and “Story of My Life” to their latest hit “Machine Gun Blues” to their ever-popular cover of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire,” Social D knows how to please their fans and have a good time doing it.

As the clock struck 9 p.m., the Foo Fighters took the stage for what would end up being a three-hour set. The Foo were in full force as they played “Bridge Burning” and “Rope,” songs off their latest album “Wasting Light.”

Along the way, the Foo made sure to get through many of the hits from year’s past — “My Hero,” “Monkey Wrench,” “Learn to Fly,” “Pretender” and “All My Life,” to name a few.

Covers of Pink Floyd’s “In the Flesh?” — which the Foo first performed on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” during Pink Floyd week in September with original Floyd member Roger Waters — and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ “Breakdown” were thrown into the mix of Foo Fighter staples, and the boys never slowed down one bit.

OK, maybe for three bits. Taking a slight break after 17 songs, Grohl and drummer Taylor Hawkins egged the audience on through backstage cameras as to how many more songs they should come on and play. The total jumped from two to six by the end of the gag.

From here, Grohl took to a rising platform stage in the middle of the arena to sing to the balcony seats with acoustic performances of “Wheels,” “Best of You” and “Times Like These” while the rest of the band took an extended break.

Ending the set with fan-favorite “Everlong” off the band’s 1997 album “The Colour and the Shape,” the Foo Fighters churned out 23 songs altogether, and put on one hell of a performance.

The key element to a great rock show is the frontman, and Dave Grohl is the frontman. He’s funny, sincere, full of crazy energy and appreciative of where he’s landed in life.

He’s encouraging — to all the kids in the audience, he urged them to pick up an instrument and see what comes of it. Some of the Foo never took lessons and he welcomed the idea that those kids could someday be up on stage just like they are.

He cares about his fans deeply — promising to return to play a small club in the area for a more intimate performance next time the band was in town.

He speaks to the crowd with honesty and he doesn’t need to put on a spectacle to have a great show — he lets the music do the talking. And judging by the fact that the crowd was filled with all ages of people, the band’s music speaks to a lot of different people. And that is why, I’m sure, Grohl’s energy will never die down and the Foo Fighters will stick together for many more years to come.

Wednesday night’s performance showed me what I’ve been missing all these years. And now it’s my turn to tell you to put the Foo Fighters on your “Must-See-in-Concert” list. You won’t be disappointed. I sure wasn’t.