Foo Fighters – “Skin And Bones” [DVD Review]

I have never been a huge Foo Fighters fan. I honestly felt Dave Grohl was a bit of a hack. I have always felt that the very essence of some rock groups is in their acoustic abilities. It can be easy to go out and play with loud and barely tuned guitars and sound fairly good. It’s another thing to go out and strip your songs down to finely tuned acoustical instruments. Skin and Bones is the Foo’s chance to go out and show what they are made of.

This DVD does all of that while giving you the feeling that you’re there. Grohl obviously understands what it’s like to be a fan. The movie starts out with a brief view of what it’s like back stage as well as scenes with the band just playing together in some boats in the water.

There are 21 tracks on the DVD and it was taped in August 2006 at the Pantages Theater in L.A. The regular band is backed up by some additional musicians; violinist Petra Haden, former Germs/Nirvana/Foo Fighters guitarist Pat Smear, Wallflowers keyboardist Rami Jaffee, and percussionist Drew Hester. Haden and Jaffee had appeared as guest musicians on the band’s previous studio album, In Your Honor. The added instruments really help to put some old favourites in a different light.

The concert is shot quite nicely but it’s a little too professional for my tastes. It really does have a “you are there” feeling to it. I prefer a bit more handy cam work on a concert, but with people sitting in seats the professional approach works out well. The video on this disc is outstanding and it appears to be shot in high definition, but I don’t have confirmation of that.

The 5.1 Dolby digital mix is excellent and it doesn’t make foolish use of the surrounds. While stereo only, the PCM track is very high quality. Try them both. Purists will likely prefer the PCM track.

This DVD has made me a fan of the Foo Fighters. Pick up this DVD if you missed it. It strips the Foo Fighters’ music down, but the production values and the quality of this disc are way more than just “skin and bones.”

Run Time: 78:37
Release Date: November 28, 2006

Check out the song: “Best Of You”