Football films that score big

Are you ready for some football? Movies... that is. Can’t say I’m as pumped as most for Super Bowl Sunday. One, I’ll be working. Two, I’ve never been much of a football fan. But I am proud that New England’s own has made it to the coveted bowl for the seventh time in the team’s history, and for that I’ve asked the seven members of our newsroom staff — myself included — to tell me what their favorite football films are. After all, a film can pack in as much blood, sweat and tears as a real game can, if not a bit more comic relief.

So after the Super Bowl, when you’re not quite ready to push football aside and welcome in the baseball season, go out and rent a couple of these somewhat surprising choices — you’ll have just as much fun watching them as you would cheering on the Patriots. Go team!

“Little Giants” (1994)

So basically, I don’t do movies. But when I did, back in 1994, I was pretty into “Little Giants” staring Rick Moranis. That’s right, the dude from “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.” The movie had it all. A 9-year-old named Spike who could carry a fridge on his back, a cheerleader turned running back, and a little guy who knocked himself out cold when he ran straight into the field-goal post after scoring a touchdown . Oh, and Al Bundy was in it too.

— Michael Pezone, Sport Editor

“Lucas” (1986)

I don’t care for football movies but I do have a special place in my heart for “Lucas” starring the late Corey Haim. This movie is almost painful for me to watch because high school is depicted so accurately with the cruel bullying, the intense crushes and embarrassments and the best friends you’ll ever make.

— Amy Cotton, Social Editor

“The Replacements” (2000)

“Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole.” That’s what you’ll have stuck in your head after watching “The Replacements.”

After a pro football team goes on strike, the owners are forced to find substitute players to finish out the season. Gene Hackman and Keanu Reeves are at the helm of the movie, but to me it’s all about the supporting players.

A chain-smoking soccer player from Whales with a bad gambling habit is recruited as kicker. A former defensive back who is now is prison for assaulting a police officer is allowed to play with the permission of the governor. A sumo wrestler from Japan is recruited to play offensive tackle. A SWAT team leader with an anger management problem, played by Jon Favreau, does his best as linebacker. And Orlando Jones as a convenience store clerk, with the quickest legs, but who can’t catch, is chosen as the wide receiver. Throw in two security guards brothers to come on as, you guessed it, guards, and you’ve got yourself a team.

With “The Replacements” it’s not just about the game, but the camaraderie that goes along with it. And you’ll get a whole lot of laughs out of it too, especially when they start recruiting for the cheerleading positions.

— Laura Kennedy, Assistant Editor

“Necessary Roughness” (1991)

While it didn’t win any Oscars and it’s certainly not going to be added to the National Film Registry any time soon, I still felt that “Necessary Roughness” — which stars Scott Bakula, Sinbad and Kathy Ireland — ought to be considered as one of the best football movies. Granted, I haven’t actually seen the movie but after two of my co-workers gave it a resounding endorsement, I decided to watch some clips. After I watched a few scenes — which included Wally’s pep talk and one called Samurai football — I decided it wasn’t as terrible as I thought and figured it deserved to be a part of this list. Go Armadillos.

— Craig Lyons, Staff Reporter

“Rudy” (1993)

It’s an obvious choice to any Notre Dame football fan such as myself, but even those non-Irish lovers recognize the triumph of the human spirit in this story.

“Rudy” represents the essence of Notre Dame football; it is not an affection grown from mere school affiliation, but a deep-seated love that is passed down from generations, just as it is from Rudy and his father and it was with my parents to me. When he finally gets to play in a game, sacks the quarterback from Georgia Tech on the final play (no Hollywood there, that really happened), and is carried off the field on his teammates’ shoulders, I get misty eyed.

“Rudy” is more than a football movie, it’s a testament to the triumph of the underdog, the accomplishment of a dream and the fulfillment of a destiny.

— Monica Hogan, Sports Writer

“The Longest Yard” (1974)

“The Longest Yard” is my favorite — the one with Burt Reynolds, not Adam Sandler. It was a movie that most definitely did not need to be remade.

It’s a hilarious mixture of off-color comedy, drama and surprisingly good football scenes facilitated by roles from such NFL greats as Ray Nitschke and Joe Kapp, who each played in Super Bowls.

I thought it was Burt Reynolds’ finest role, and I also loved Bernadette Peters as the warden’s secretary with the beehive hairdo, which begat the Reynolds line: “Nice hair. Ever find any spiders in it?”

— Roger Carroll, Editor

“Remember the Titans” (2000)

“Remember the Titans” juxtaposes a feel-good football story with an important historical and cultural message. Who could expect anything less from Disney?

An all-star cast drives the story of an early ’70s Virginia high school football team that represents one of the first integrated squads in the country. Denzel Washington leads the way as the hard-nosed coach, and the roster is filled up by several recognizable actors before their primes, including Ryan Gosling, “Scrubs’s” Donald Faison, and “The Wire’s” Wood Harris, among others.

Besides some excellent football scenes, the movie is rounded out by an exceptional soundtrack, drawing on some timely tunes from James Taylor, Cat Stevens and Marvin Gaye, to name a few.

— Ian Lord, Staff Writer

Recapping the Golden Globes

I would like to thank the Hollywood Foreign Press — for taking all the fun out of the Golden Globes this year.

As many of you may know, last year’s host Ricky Gervais pushed the envelop with his comedy when it came to his opening monologue. It was harsh ... but it was the harsh truth at that. And it was funny. He was told he wouldn’t be invited back.

Well, he was — to many people’s chagrin. This year, as he approached the podium during his opening monologue, he spoke his best line of the night: “So, where was I? Nervous?” he asked the audience.

Unfortunately, the audience had nothing to worry about.

Gervais’ jokes centered on people he would never come in contact with. His jokes were mediocre and tame, taking jabs at Justin Bieber, Kate Middleton and Kim Kardashian (“The Golden Globes are to the Oscars like Kim Kardashian is to Kate Middleton — bit louder, bit drunker, bit trashier, and more easily bought. Allegedly. Nothing’s been proved.”), Eddie Murphy and Adam Sandler (“Between the two of them, they played all the parts in ‘The Help.’ ”) and NBC, the network the ceremony was aired on (“You get Britain’s first comedian, hosting the second-biggest awards show on America’s third-biggest network”). Easy targets, if you ask me. All thanks to the Hollywood Foreign Press.

If you’re going to invite someone back to host for a third time, there must be a reason. And I would think making people laugh would be one of those. Last year’s audience might have been uncomfortable with Gervais’ risky humor, but at least a large part of the audience was laughing. I can’t say the same for this year’s group.

Overall the night was fairly predictable, as were the recipients of the awards themselves, and the Oscars will surely have the same results, aside from Billy Crystal who will bring his all, as usual, as host. For now, here’s a quick look at who took home the gold this year.

Pleasant surprises

• Christopher Plummer wins Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his role in “Beginners” as Hal, an elderly man who comes out as gay after his wife passes away, only to find out that he has terminal cancer. Plummer has won many awards over his longstanding career, but never a Golden Globe.

• Jessica Lange outdoes Maggie Smith and Evan Rachel Wood, among others, to win the honor for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television, for her stint on “American Horror Story.” “American Horror Story” was a risky show, not one likely for nomination. But Lange’s perfect performance as Constance, the next-door neighbor to a house full of ghosts made for an easy win.

• Martin Scorsese takes home Best Director for “Hugo” — a film he said he made at his youngest daughter’s request so that she would be able to see one of her father’s films for once. Keep racking them up Marty.

Unpleasant surprise

• Kelsey Grammar beats Bryan Cranston and Steve Buscemi for Best Actor in a Television Series — Drama. Grammar took the award home for his role in Starz’ “Boss,” after Buscemi won last year for his role in “Boardwalk Empire.” I’m sure Grammar’s performance was superb, as he is a seasoned actor, but Cranston’s performance on this year’s “Breaking Bad” was his best yet, and everyone was abuzz about it — apparently, just not the Hollywood Foreign Press.

• “Bridesmaids” goes home empty handed. It was a longshot for a raunchy, yet well-developed comedy to take home any hardward. Comedies usually get shafted at the elite award shows, and it would have been a nice surprise to see all of Kristin Wiig’s hard work pay off with a win in either of the two categories it was nominated for — Best Supporting Actress — Musical or Comedy (for Wiig), or Best Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy.

No surprise there

• Peter Dinklage of “Game of Thrones” wins Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television. He scooped up the Emmy in the fall for the same role, both well-deserved.

• Silent black and white film “The Artist” picks up Best Picture — Comedy or Musical and actor Jean Dujardin wins for Best Actor — Comedy or Musical. It’s nice to see people can still appreciate a great silent film, no matter what day and age.

• “The Descendants” wins Best Picture — Drama, as does its star, George Clooney, for Best Actor — Drama. Director Alexander Payne is a noted director, especially for his previously winning film “Sideways.” It was no surprise that after seven years he came back and won it again.

• Octavia Spencer wins Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her portrayal as outspoken maid Minny Jackson in “The Help.” According to author and longtime friend Kathryn Stockett, Spencer inspired the character of Jackson, who was then cast by mutual friend and director Tate Taylor. Looks like Spencer couldn’t go wrong with a role made — literally — for her.

• Kate Winslet wins for Best Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television for HBO’s “Mildred Pierce.” How many awards does she have now? It seems if you’re up against Winslet, you barely have a fighting chance.

Well-deserved wins

• Clair Danes is three for three as she took home the award in the Best Actress in a Television Series — Drama for her role in HBO’s “Homeland.” She first won a Golden Globe at the age of 15 for her role on the TV series “My So-Called Life” and last year she took home another for the television mini-series “Temple Grandin.”

• “Modern Family” wins Best Television Series — Comedy or Musical. Believe it or not, it’s the show’s first Globe win in the three years it’s been nominated. It lost out to “Glee” in the previous two years.

• Morgan Freeman, the man with the golden narrative voice and a prolific film career, is honored with the Cecil B. DeMille Award. It’s about time.

Mid-season TV schedule full of familiar faces

Now that the holidays are over, it’s time for our favorite shows to resurface. And along with our usual favorites, there’s always a new crop of mid-season shows hoping to capture our attention. This year, it’s all about the familiar faces.

Ashley Judd makes the leap to television — after a fairly prolific movie career — with “Missing” (Wednesday, March 15). “Missing” takes Judd’s character overseas to find her son after he disappears while studying abroad.

The entire original cast of 2004’s underground hit “Napoleon Dynamite” return (Sunday, Jan. 15) in an animated series on Fox. Should be friggin’ sweet.

Laura Prepon, best known as Donna on “That 70’s Show,” takes a stab (Wednesdays) at playing comedian and late night host Chelsea Handler (along with Handler, who plays the best friend, not herself) on NBC’s “Are You There, Chelsea?”

And who can forget about SNL vet, Mr. Deuce Bigalow himself, Rob Schneider. He’ll return (Thursdays on CBS) to television with aptly named comedy “Rob” — a sitcom that follows Rob’s newlywed life and the very close Mexican-American family he inherits, which includes cult-icon Cheech Marin.


Aside from those, here are five more shows that I think will fare well among viewers, all with a familiar face, or two, in the cast.

“Alcatraz” (Monday, Jan. 16 — Fox — 8 p.m.)

A J.J. Abrams-produced show that reunites him with former “Lost” actor Jorge Garcia, “Alcatraz” explores the mystery behind a group of criminals who begin to reappear after a supposed 50-year disappearance from the famed prison.

Abrams brought us “Alias,” “Lost” “Fringe” and most recently “Person of Interest,” and I have no worries that “Alcatraz” will bring forth the great storytelling that Abrams is known for.

“Luck” (Sunday, Jan. 29 — HBO — 9 p.m.)

The one-and-only Dustin Hoffman stars as the central character in HBO’s newest alongside Nick Nolte in a story about the world of competitive horse racing, the gamblers involved and the people who run the show. It’s an easy bet we can’t go wrong by watching.

“Smash” (Monday, Feb. 6 — NBC — 10 p.m.)

“Will and Grace’s” Debra Messing, and former “American Idol” contestant Katherine McPhee join forces in the newest sing-song sitcom “Smash.”

If you’re any fan of “Glee” I’m sure this will be right up your alley, as it follows the production of a Broadway musical based on the life of Marilyn Monroe and all the behind-the-scenes drama that ensues.

Veteran actress Anjelica Huston also stars, so you’ll be sure to get a big enough bang for your buck.

“GCB” (Sunday, March 4 — ABC — 10 p.m.)

Much like Diablo Cody’s newest film “Young Adult,” “GCB” tells the story of a former bully of a girl returning to her hometown after her marriage goes kapute, only to find she must make nice with the women she once played mean girl to in high school.

These women are all out for payback, including Miss Adorable “Wicked” star Kristin Chenoweth. Chenoweth’s character, once the ugly girl in high school, now has the picture-perfect life and the picture-perfect looks to go with it, and she’s not pleased to find her nemesis return.

“GCB” reads like a soap opera, but it combines the gossip and rumor-filled drama with the perfect amount of comedy. It’s sure to be a good fit now that “Desperate Housewives” is on its way out.

“Touch” (Monday, March 19 — Fox — 9 p.m.)

Kiefer Sutherland returns to Fox not as action-adventure man Jack Bauer of “24,” but as a widowed father whose autistic son can predict the future. “Touch” will follow a group of seemingly unrelated characters who eventually affect each other in one way or another. With Sutherland at the reigns, and a puzzle-like plot, “Touch” will surely grab our attention.

Stay away from the 'House of Lies'

Don Cheadle. The man who wooed us over in “Hotel Rwanda” and “Crash,” — heck, even in “Ocean’s Eleven” as an explosive enthusiast — Cheadle’s charm always shows through his work. With Cheadle at the helm, as he is with the new 30-minute Showtime comedy “House of Lies,” you can’t go wrong, right?

Very wrong indeed, my friends.

But first, let’s go off course for a bit.

Showtime. It’s a network filled with characters we shouldn’t relate to, yet somehow we find ourselves living vicariously through them, time and time again.

We have Dexter Morgan, a vigilante serial killer with a “dark passenger”; Nancy Botwin, a drug-dealing mother simply trying to support her family; Hank Moody, a sex-aholic writer; and the Gallagher family, a bunch of gypsy thieves, among others. With “House of Lies” we can add money-hungry management consultants to the list.

And this is where Cheadle comes into play. Cheadle tackles the role of central character Marty Kaan, a cut-throat consultant who will do anything to land the client. Which is all good and well if his character wasn’t portrayed as a complete sleezball.

When we first meet Kaan, he is waking up next to his drugged-out ex wife - who happens to be his main competition in the consulting world. Following this shameful incident, we meet Marty’s other half, his pre-pubescent son who is discovering his other side of his sexuality — he really wants to nab the role of Sandy in his elementary school’s performance of “Grease” — to which Marty tries to ignore. And that’s just in the first five minutes.

Cheadle, an actor so refined, really takes a big step down with this role. What’s written for him is an over-the-top, sloppy, crude and disrespectful guy to all those involved. Including another fine actress who gets pulled into the “House of Lies” undertow, Kristen Bell — of “Veronica Mars” and “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” fame. Bell plays Jeannie Van Der Hooven, an Ivy-leaguer and right-hand woman to Kaan within his team of consultants — which also includes “Parks and Recreations” actor Ben Schwartz and Australian actor Josh Lawson, as Clyde and Doug, respectively. Bell’s character is meant to be strong and independent, but she’s so entwined with Marty in the overall scheme of things, that it creates a turn-off. I realize that Showtime is a prolific network, but Bell can do so much better.

It’s a fast-paced world when it comes to management consulting — which is probably why “House of Lies” feels the need to stop every five minutes or so in freeze-frame style and explain things to us, a tactic that gets real old, real fast — and I think the creators of “House of Lies” will soon come to find that it’s all a little too much. Viewers aren’t going to want to sympathize with Marty’s character as they do with other Showtime faves. Unless the creators of “House of Lies” can clean the show up a bit and make it smarter rather than sleazier, than I’m sorry to say the creators are the ones lying to themselves if they think “House of Lies” will make it past a first season.

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“House of Lies” debuts tomorrow at 9 p.m. on Showtime, but if you want to take a look sooner, though I highly recommend you don’t waste your time, TVGuide.com is showing the first episode online for free.

Sandra Bullock knows how to put a smile on our faces

Sandra Bullock. She’s America’s sweetheart. She wins everyone over with her smile. She’s the girl next door, if you will, who just happens to be the highest paid actress of 2012 with $56 million, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. Not your average girl-next-door salary, but she seems to deserve it because she’s so humble.

This week Bullock tackles a tough role as a mother from New York whose husband (Tom Hanks) was killed on 9/11 in “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” — adapted from the best-selling novel. After her 10-year-old son discovers a key left behind by his father, he decides to go on a coming-of-age journey across New York to find the lockbox to which the key belongs.

With such a serious role in hand, let’s look back at some of Sandra’s funniest and most-endearing roles of the last 20 years.

“Speed” (1994) — “There's a bomb on a bus,” reveals Dennis Hopper, the villain of the film and, in doing so, sets the premise for the entire movie. Alongside Keanu Reeves, the cop who is involved in Hopper’s mind game, Bullock is able to hold her own as overwhelmed, frazzled Annie who must take charge and keep the bus from going under 50 mph. Bullock provides a bit of comedy to the fast-paced action flick and it helped earn her a spot as a leading lady in Hollywood.

“Miss Congeniality” (2000) — I’ve seen this movie a thousand times and it, or Bullock for that matter, always makes me laugh. As an undercover FBI agent who must parade around at a beauty pageant in order to stop a group from bombing the event, Bullock’s character learns to make nice among beauty consultants, pageant coordinators and the contestants themselves. Bullock is so awkward and dorky and out of her element that it’s hard not to laugh at her. She does a great job at mocking the world of beauty pageants, all while playing a tough FBI agent ready to kick butt when necessary.

“While You Were Sleeping” (1995) — A classic romantic comedy that Bullock makes so easy to watch, “While You Were Sleeping” tells the story of Lucy, a token collector at a train station who has a crush on a particular commuter (Peter Gallagher). One day he is mugged and pushed onto the train tracks. Bullock’s character rescues him, only to find that he has fallen into a coma. She brings him to the hospital where the nurse mistakes her for his fiance and she doesn’t have the heart to tell his family the truth. She ends up spending a lot of time with the family, including the brother (Bill Pullman), with whom she soon falls in love. With a great supporting cast, Bullock couldn’t go wrong.

“The Blind Side” (2009) — The film that earned Bullock an Academy Award, Golden Globe and SAG award, Bullock really transformed herself for the role of Leigh Anne Tuohy, the mother who adopted Baltimore Ravens lineman Michael Oher. It is said that Bullock turned down the role several times because she didn’t want to portray a devout Christian. Well, it was well worth the wait, and the film turned out to be an underdog movie that opened up everyone’s hearts, and Bullock had a big part in doing that.

“The Proposal” (2009) — Released around the same time as “The Blind Side,” Bullock broke records for having two top-grossing releases at the same time. While “The Blind Side” captured our hearts, “The Proposal” tickled our funny bones. Alongside Ryan Reynolds and the one-and-only Betty White, Bullock had no trouble standing out as a publisher who pretends to be engaged to her assistant in order to not be deported to Canada. Temporary at first, the two quickly fall in love when they go to meet family in his home state of Alaska.

It sounds like a silly premise that could easily go wrong, as Bullock’s other comedy released that year, “All About Steve,” did. But what works is the chemistry between Reynolds and Bullock. They work hand-in-glove with each other and over the years Bullock has shown that she’s a well-rounded actress who has multiple sides to her craft. She always has something new up her sleeve and it seems to always put a smile on her face and ours.

Why aren't you watching 'Breaking Bad'?

For those of you who aren’t watching the ground-breaking AMC show “Breaking Bad,” shame on you. What are you waiting for? For actor Bryan Cranston to bump his Emmy total up to four? Well that will come soon enough. For now, AMC has given you an early Christmas present. The network has decided to air encore episodes of all four seasons of “Breaking Bad” from beginning to end, every Sunday night at midnight until the final season arrives next summer. And with the lack of most regularly-scheduled TV this holiday season, what better time to take advantage of such a great offering. You’ll be hooked in no time, craving for Sunday nights to arrive. And here’s why.

THE WRITING

Vince Gilligan, the creator of “Breaking Bad,” — who previously wrote and produced many episodes of “The X-Files” — has created one wild ride for us to enjoy.

A brief synopsis: In season one we meet Walter White, a bored high school chemistry teacher who finds out that he has lung cancer. While on a drug-bust raid with his DEA brother-in-law, Hank, Walter finds a former student, Jesse Pinkman, to be one of the dealers who happens to escape Hank’s wrath. From here, Walter decides to take his life into his own hands so that he can make sure his family is financially secure when the cancer takes his life. As a chemist, he is able to create the purest form of methamphetamine and, with the help of Jesse, Walter decides to produce and sell the drug. As the series develops, Walter and Jesse’s distribution grows and so does the number of people who want them out of the picture.

What Gilligan has done so brilliantly is present a character with whom you sympathize with at first, but as the series progresses you come to genuinely despise. Most writers tend to steer away from the audience hating the main character, but not Gilligan. When he was a chemistry teacher, Walter was as complacent as they come. But as his drug operation grows he becomes greedy, hostile and out of hand. Walter wants to be the boss and he won’t take s--t from anyone. It’s a complete 180 for a character that has the audience wondering who they should be rooting for.

THE ACTORS

The actors who must fill the shoes of the Walter and Jesse characters are Bryan Cranston, as Walter, and Aaron Paul, as Jesse.

When I first started watching “Breaking Bad” I had no idea Walter was portrayed by the same goofy guy who played father to Frankie Muniz on the family-comedy “Malcolm in the Middle.” It took me a couple episodes for it to click — simple because Cranston looks and acts so much more sinister in this role. Cranston is intense and encompasses the role in full force. He brings everything to the table as Walter White, and it may be the role he’ll be most remembered for.

I’d only seen Paul in brief one-episode TV appearances or teen comedies such as “Van Wilder.” He’s an actor who came out of nowhere. The character of Jesse requires balance between someone who is not only a “business savvy” meth distributor, but also a meth addict himself. Paul is just as intense as Cranston, and the two of them work hand-in-hand to create the energy and tension that holds “Breaking Bad” together.

Gilligan had initially wanted to kill off the character of Jesse Pinkman in the first season. But after seeing Paul’s performance, he opted not too. Which is all the better, especially for Paul, who followed Cranston’s lead and won an Emmy of his own for his season three performance in 2010.

THE VILLAIN

Over the course of the show, there are various drug dealers and members of a drug cartel that Walter and Jesse encounter. You could even say Hank — Walter’s DEA brother-in-law — is a villain in a way. But no one becomes quite as big of a threat as Gustavo “Gus” Fring, a business partner the two pair up with to distribute their meth in large quantities across the region in season two.

Gus, played by Giancarlo Esposito, is hands down the best villain TV has seen in the 21st century. With a subtle, low-key demeanor, Gus is a quiet businessman who runs his meth operations out of a fast food restaurant chain called Los Pollos Hermanos and a laundry facility. He is very smart and, rather than deal with the competition of Walter and Jesse, Gus takes them on to work for him, in a state-of-the-art mega lab.

As problems arise, Gus and Walter try to outsmart each other and it’s a battle of the wits. Gus is very powerful and you never know what is coming from him. He has a ruthless psyche hidden under his calm and collective manner.

Esposito — who has quite the resume, including starring in four Spike Lee joints and currently appearing on ABC’s “Once Upon a Time” — is so poised and polite as Gus, that when he does act out his villainous intentions, it’s quite scary. He never lets his guard down and he’s the type of villain who is always one step ahead of everyone else.

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.