Cal Jam 2017
photo by Adela Loconte

Cal Jam 2017 pics (Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age, Liam Gallagher, more)

Foo Fighters’ Cal Jam Festival came to San Bernardino, CA’s Glen Helen Regional Park and Amphitheater on Saturday (10/7). The one day festival, partially a way for Foo Fighters to celebrate the release of their latest album, Concrete and Gold, was also inspired by the California Jam festivals of 1974 and 1978, which Deep Purple, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Aerosmith, and Black Sabbath played. Foo Fighters headlined with a two hour plus set that mixed new material with hits, and included some surprises, too. Variety writes:

During their two-hour-plus set, the band somehow managed to make a festival with thousands of onlookers feel intimate. While they ran through hits like “Pretenders,” “All My Life,” “Best of You,” and “My Hero,” along with singles off their new album, Grohl got personal with the crowd, even rushing into the middle of it at one point to strum his guitar surrounded by fans.

And they brought out the big guns, too. Aerosmith’s Joe Perry, who played at the 1978 CalJam, joined Foo Fighters on stage to perform “Draw the Line.” They also welcomed the Kills’ Alison Mosshart to collaborate on their new song together, “La Dee Da,” and even Rick Astley to hurl expletives at the audience and “rick roll” the entire festival with “Never Gonna Give You Up.”

It got mildly bizarre when Grohl, with Perry still on stage, invited Gallagher on stage to sing a cover of the Beatles’ “Come Together” (which Aerosmith also covered in the ’70s). Gallagher had to hold a piece of paper with the lyrics to the famous song in front of him, and left via a random stage dive near the end of the song. “I just saw Liam’s a–crack,” Grohl said afterward. “That was planned,” he added sarcastically.

Watch the “Come Together” and “Never Gonna Give You Up” covers below.

Besides their headlining set, Foo Fighters had a museum of ephemera on the festival grounds for fans to visit. The San Bernardino Sun writes:

Foo’s guitars, Grammy awards, blown up images of special moments and familiar costumes and memorabilia from music videos and previous shows were all on display. The biggest draw was Foo vocalist Dave Grohl’s leg cast and walking boot which he sported on tour in 2015 after taking a nasty fall at a gig in Sweden. Fans were allowed to sit on the gaudy mobile throne Grohl had constructed so the tour could go on.

Cal Jam also had sets from Queens of the Stone Age, The Kills, Bob Mould, Cage the Elephant, Japandroids, Babes in Toyland, Liam Gallagher, Bully, White Reaper, The Obsessed, Adia Victoria, and more. Check out pictures from the whole day in the gallery above.

photos by Adela Loconte