Grotto-loving Foo Fighters storm Firefly

After years of lurking in the shadows as Delaware's rock 'n' roll Bigfoot, Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl finally stepped into the First State spotlight late Friday night at Firefly Music Festival.

Grohl, the newly inducted Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member thanks to his years in Nirvana, unleashed a two-hour hard rock torrent in front of 80,000 strong with his Foo brothers.

After under-the-radar vacationing in Rehoboth Beach for more than a decade, his Delaware fans got to see Grohl in rock star mode: thrashing, howling, burping and noting his history with Delaware.

"Let me tell you, it's good to be back," he said before the first song, "Times Like These." "I spent a lot of time around these parts. I still do.

"Every time I smell a Grotto pizza, God damn! What other pizza place will get you home after a drunk night in Rehoboth Beach?"

He did not elaborate on what is surely a legendary story about the "legendary taste."

While the show opened with Grohl talking about his Delaware ties, it ended in a way that might show what he learned at Delaware beach music venues: Delawareans love covers.

After a main set filled with Foo classics like "Learn to Fly," "My Hero," "Best of You" and "Monkeywrench," which found Grohl atop a lighting truss and chugging a Rolling Rock, the Foo Fighters came out for an encore as a Delaware cover band of sorts.

The new band name was announced as The Holy S--ts.

Grohl then promised a five-song "bar band song" encore and gave a feel-good music tour of the '70s and '80s with "School's Out" (Alice Cooper), "Miss You" (The Rolling Stones), "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love" (Van Halen) and "Under Pressure" (Queen & David Bowie).

For the night's final song, he said he had one more "classic rock" tune left and band closed out the second day of the Dover music festival with the Foos' own "Everlong."

Before he left the stage, Grohl expressed his gratitude to the 80,000 fans in front of him.

"There are time I love my life because I'm the happiest person in the world," said Grohl, 45. "And then I do this and I'm the luckiest person in the world."

He noted that the band has a new album of "eight new bad-ass songs in the bag" -- one that has an announced November release date. The Foo Fighters showed no signs of rust at what was only their fourth show of the year and first in more than a month.

He also hinted he will not leave Delaware behind, whether it comes to vacations or concerts: "I can't wait to come back and play all the new s--t for you."

We'll be waiting.

Setlist

Times Like These

Rope

The Pretender

Learn to Fly

White Limo

Arlandria

My Hero

Cold Day in the Sun

Big Me

Monkey Wrench

Walk

These Days

Generator

This Is a Call

Best of You

All My Life

Encore:

School's Out (Alice Cooper)

Miss You (The Rolling Stones)

Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love (Van Halen)

Under Pressure (Queen & David Bowie)

Everlong