In junior high school, I was a total badass, or so I thought. I loved going to concerts with my friends because I was a hard-core alternative rock fan. I was edgy. I was punk. I was cool.

The first concert I ever attended was No Doubt, on their “Tragic Kingdom” tour. I was like every other 13-year-old girl that year. Gwen Stefani was the coolest person on earth and I wanted to be just like her. I could totally relate to everything she wrote about in her songs, even though I knew nothing of what she sang.

Unbeknownst to me at the time was that a small band, by the name of Weezer, would open for them. This band would eventually gain a place in my heart even larger than the one No Doubt and Gwen Stefani occupied.

While No Doubt went soft and started churning out pop and dance music, Weezer stayed true to their roots.

This is true both, in their songs and the show they put on last night at Assembly Hall. The guys are still quirky and a bit dorky. Their show, though flashier than before, is still all about the music. Rivers Cuomo is still a timid front man, though he did break out of his shell that night. But most of all, the band just seemed like a group of guys that genuinely enjoys playing music and giving fans a great show.

From “My Name is Jonas” to “Beverly Hills” to “El Scorcho,” Weezer’s set was a great mix of old favorites and new material. It was a true crowd pleaser in every sense of the phrase. “Blue Album,” “Green Album,” the boys of Weezer played it all, both the obscure and the radio hits.

The highlight of their set was the encore. Cuomo came out to the sound booth and serenaded the fans with an acoustic version of “Island in the Sun.” With a solo spotlight, Cuomo, known for his shy stage presence, strummed a simpler, yet more compelling rendition of the hit song.

Then while Cuomo was making his way back to the stage, the rest of the band invited a fan to help them out and play “Undone (The Sweater Song).” Though already a crowd favorite, it was the fan that milked every moment in the spotlight that stole the show. A full-on light show and rock assault of “Hashpipe” ended the set with great energy for the next band.

Foo Fighters, the next band on the bill, also conjured up old junior high memories. I saw Foo Fighters at Chicago radio station Q101’s Jamboree when “My Hero,” “Monkey Wrench” and “Everlong” were still mainstays on the radio. Foo Fighters were billed on the main stage along with Space Hog, Barenaked Ladies and Scott Weiland, sans Stone Temple Pilots, but way before the days of Velvet Revolver.

Of all the acts I saw that day, Foo Fighters impressed me then and continue to do so today. The energy of Dave Grohl and the entire band still blows me away. Last night, Grohl reaffirmed his position in my mind as one of the best rock front men I’ve had the pleasure to see.

Loud, vulgar, self-deprecating and always funny, Grohl is a guaranteed good time. Foul-mouthed, full of swears and the occasional belch, Grohl seems to know how not to take life seriously and that goes for the rest of the bad as well.

Though their stage persona is contrary to their music at times, overall it works. Foo Fighters is the perfect mix of rock, aggression and humor. Because nothing is worse than a group of musicians that takes themselves so seriously and think they’re so self-important that they can’t enjoy life.

Foo Fighters is definitely not that. What Foo Fighters is is a non-stop, adrenaline-filled rock fest in the best sense. From beginning to end, the entire crowd moshed, crowd surfed and screamed right along with Grohl and the band.

They played all of their most popular songs, the best being “Times Like These.” During the song, Grohl ran through the crowd and then walked the perimeter of the stands. He ignored the tailing security guards and interacted with the crowd, which gave the song a real and intimate feeling.

After talking about hickeys and referring to himself as “Dr. G,” Grohl and the band ended their show with old favorites “Everlong” and “Monkey Wrench.”

Though it’s been almost seven or eight years since I saw either of these bands, both of them still rock. I’m not thirteen anymore, and I’m certainly not a badass, but these bands definitely are.