It was late spring 1996 and I was in the middle of Golden Gate Park in San Francisco with 80,000 other people. Yoko Ono had just finished her set and every audience member was standing there, jaw agape, not sure whether to run or to cry. When everybody recovered from Yoko, a mad, mass migration to the other stage began.

Dave Grohl’s new band Foo Fighters were getting set to play. Everybody was curious and anxious to catch their first glimpse of the Nirvana drummer’s new band.

The group came out and immediately ripped into “Big Me,” sending the crowd into a rabid pit that never let up. Over the next 45 minutes or so, Dave Grohl put on a show that was a dazzler, and proved to a field full of California hipsters at a “Free Tibet” concert that he was the real deal.

Following a long absence from Indiana, Dave brings his Foo Fighters back to Conseco Fieldhouse tonight. Look forward to a career-spanning hit parade, with a generous sprinkling of gems from their new album, Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace.

Opening act Supergrass will be in a curious position. The hipsters will be thrilled, but the punters in the Fieldhouse that are there to see “Everlong” might not care. It’s a shame, because Supergrass’ newest, Diamond Hoo Ha, is one of the best of the year, and their frontman, Gaz Coombes, is one of the best British lead singers of the past couple decades.