COACH DAVE GROHL AND THE TEAM

via popsugar.com

One observation claims that athletes want to be actors, actors want to be athletes, and everybody wants to be a rock star.

What do rock stars want to be?

After seeing a rock show with Foo Fighters headlining, maybe the greatest rock band working on the world stage, rock stars apparently want to be coaches. At least the well adjusted ones do.

Even more, they want to be Player/Coaches. Dave Grohl shows how.

Instead of putting his face near a microphone to sing a song, say thanks after the applause, then start another song, Coach Grohl fires his team up and keeps them hot.

While he was in the stadium tunnel before the game, (actually behind the curtain before a show at The Gorge), Grohl gave his band the sort of pep talk all teams get before kickoff. Except in head banger language.

Three strong man-screams blasted out of the PA. The difference between a professional rocker’s scream and yours is the same difference between a professional athlete and everyone else.

They practice how they play and play like they practice; one verse at a time.

The scream is the same identifying expression as GO DUCKS or ROLL TIDE at high volume and in key. It lets teammates know you’re ready to go and they’d better be just as ready.

How hard is it to fill the jobs of both player and coach? It’s more than just one job.

Only one person took both roles to a sports championship: Bill Russell of the Boston Celtics won back to back titles as Player/Coach. I wouldn’t bet against Dave Grohl doing something equally outstanding.

The first musical notes started after the last man-scream pep talk and it was game on.

Player/Coach Grohl led his team through the first half set while barking at the band and audience for more.

No matter how many times you hear one of his songs on the radio you’ll never hear him roaring “Okay, let’s go.” “Come on, I wanna hear you louder.” Or “Wooooo.”

That he did it from his throne chair made a stronger connection to sports. You know the rule: if you’re hurt, you play; if you’re injured, you sit.

DG dislocated his ankle and broke a leg bone falling off a stage during a European show. On good wheels he covers the stage like a defensive back covers a fly route. On that Swedish stage he took a dive. Maybe it was the metric dimensions creating a shorter stage than expected, maybe a trip and stumble. You decide.

Instead of playing the pampered rock star, Grohl manned the hell up and finished that show with the doctor on stage holding his ankle in traction. Instead of abandoning his team and canceling the rest of their season/tour, he designed a throne to keep his cast leg elevated and played on.

Yes, it was odd seeing the lifer rock god playing from such an incredible seat, but it reminded me of college coaches running practice from a central tower. Make no mistake, Coach Grohl put his people through the paces the same way Bear Bryant did Alabama. Winners.

Oregon quarterback Vernon Adams played with a broken finger on his throwing hand, Coach Grohl played with a broken leg. Neither would play if the injuries were reversed.

During a conversational interlude Dave introduced his team. He drafted personnel from influential bands and made them more than they’d ever been.

Some Foo Fighters have played together since 1994. The last to join was 1999. They know each others strengths and tendencies, how they perform under pressure, and if they can finish what they start.

Coach Grohl knew what he wanted and he drafted well.

During introductions he left room for a skill demonstration, but he did it sports style.

“Ordinarily my guitar player does a solo when I introduce him.”

Chris Shiflett played a few notes.

“That’s it? You have this time and that’s all you’ve got? Are you even trying?”

Then came a blistering run of notes and bends so pure you feel transported to rock and roll heaven. It’s the same feeling you get watching quarterbacks and receivers hook up on a long ball, or runners reading their blocks. Call it poetry, or the satisfaction of seeing things done right.

Coach Grohl pulled peak performances from his players the same way Eagles coach Chip Kelly does his players. They all looked prepared and ready, properly hydrated, which is saying a lot for a rock band, or a football team.

Rock, like sports, used to be simple. The Ramones played the way Ohio State played football under Woody Hayes. One was three chord verses and a chorus, the other three yards and a cloud of dust.

The game clock changed too. Old school grinder football games lasted forever. Today’s read option, run to near perfection by Oregon’s Marcus Mariota, made the same time pass too fast. Three years was not enough.

By the same standards The Beatles finished their tour shows in under and hour, long enough to drive fans crazier than Corvallis after a Beaver home win.

Foo Fighters play over three hours and still give the feeling they have more to prove.

The beauty of the Player/Coach in sports and rock is that one person knows more than everyone else.

The greats like Bill Russell and Dave Grohl include the rest of us in their magic. They take us all along for the ride and leave us wondering if anything will ever be this good again.

What do you think? Will it?

DG