Foo Fighters, the Pretenders, and Alex G christened Portland’s newest music venue Friday night, and it was a show for the ages–so long as you didn’t want a quiet night in Goose Hollow or to drive on SW 20th that evening.

First things first: Foo Fighters know how to put on a rock show. Do you know how confident you have to be to willingly take the stage after the Pretenders? Guitarist and vocalist Chrissie Hynde has been blowing competition off her stage since 1978. However, Foo Fighters were more than up for the challenge. They played a three-hour (!) set filled with songs pulled from their extensive catalog. We heard the sing-along rock radio staples like “My Hero” and “Times Like These” as well as songs like “La Dee Da,” aimed squarely at what frontman Dave Grohl called “the deep-cut motherfuckers in the house.”

There's no doubt that Grohl is a rock star through and through. The set's opening song “All My Life” had fans fist pumping and even throwing devil horns. By the time we were two songs in, Grohl had doused himself in water, like the star of an '80s hair metal video, and was strutting out into the crowd on the walkway built over what would have been a Timbers match penalty box. He pumped his fist in the air and even [gasp] smoked a cigarette—which inspired the woman in front of me to light up too.

Grohl was there to rock—and the crowd radiated approval. At one point, Grohl asked the audience whether they wanted to hear a “sweet love ballad” or a “screaming-ass rock song;” the rock song won by a vocal landslide. Grohl was clearly in his element during the band’s long set and seemed very happy to be onstage, in front of a reportedly sold-out crowd, teasing his longtime West Coast fans. He pointed out that some of the old guard were undoubtedly “wearing the t-shirt of the band at the concert of the band.” The Mercury can confirm this.

The fans loved it, and Grohl reveled in the band’s return to the Rose City, noting from the stage, “This is the biggest fucking show here in 30 fucking years for us!” The oldheads in the crowd cheered when he added, “it was not like this when we played the Satyricon in 1995!”—referring to the beloved, tiny, and long-shuttered Old Town venue.

Forming in the wake of Nirvana's dissolution, Foo Fighters quickly outgrew Portland's smaller venues, which illustrates why Providence Park's return to music represents such an important move for the city. The reported 30,000 seats in the stadium (10,000 more than can optimistically be crammed into the Moda Center) means that Portland is no longer a fly-over city for big bands on tour—at least, in summer. 

Providence Park: Concert Mode is a great addition to the city. However, we worried it might not be the most community-friendly addition to Goose Hollow. The streets were blocked, the show was LOUD, and we wondered how the people in the apartments that surround the venue felt about hearing “Monkey Wrench” at 10:40 pm.

For neighboring fans, the show also wasn’t as listener-friendly as the venue once had been. The Park last hosted a giant rock show in 2005, when Joan Jett headlined a Nike event at what was then called PGE Park. Back then, if you couldn’t afford a ticket or just wanted to stop by, you could watch some of the fun from a lawn chair outside. Now though, it seems like every former lawn chair spot is a condo, and watching the Foo Fighters from the sidewalk is impossible. The way the stage was set up, even the rich zaddies at Multnomah Athletic Club couldn’t sneak a peek, despite the fact that the sound was undoubtedly blowing them out of their Reeboks.

A few intrepid folks camped out next to the small sliver of vantage point on SW 20th, just to catch some vibes and feel the noise. And there was a lot of noise. The band didn’t even need to blow the roof off because there was no roof.

Complaining about the stadium represents another grand return for the city—as folks have been complaining about rock shows there for decades. The authors of numerous complaints to Portland Police in 1987, about a free David Bowie concert, are probably proudly boasting about attending that show now. And that's bound to happen for Friday's event too.

Still, while the concert was far louder than a sporting event—that bass!—being a city venue means playing nice with the neighbors. The show concluded promptly at 11 pm, keeping within the city's noise regulations. As the Foo Fighters hit the notes of their dad rock classic “Everlong,” the sky lit up with fireworks—much to the thrill of fans and perhaps the consternation of neighbors.