For the first time since 2005, the Foo Fighters performed in Champaign on Wednesday. The band played at the State Farm Center and is currently on tour for the release of their latest album, “Concrete and Gold.”

British glam-rock band The Struts opened for the Foo Fighters. The lead singer, Luke Spiller, joked with the audience and said he knew the crowd was there to see them perform and not the Foo Fighters.

“Our job is to get you guys pumped up for the Foo Fighters,” Spiller said.  

The Struts’s setlist consisted of a mix of songs from their album and EPs. They are set to release a new album next year.

After a transition, the stage was enclosed in curtains marked with the Foo Fighters’ emblem. Light effects went off as the band was unveiled; all that was audible was the audience’s cheers and applause.

The band began by performing “Run,” which is from their latest album. The setlist was sprinkled with a variety of their greatest hits, oldies, new songs and songs by various artists including AC/DC, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Van Halen.

Taylor Hawkins, Foo Fighters’ drummer, performed a solo. His drum set was elevated 30 feet in the air, where he then stayed for most of the show. Hawkins showed off his skills as a camera displayed a bird’s-eye view of his drum set. The audience was silent and erupted in applause at the end of his performance.

Hawkins wasn’t the only one performing a solo that night. Lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Dave Grohl demonstrated his guitar skills and ended his solo with a loud scream into the microphone. Keyboardist Rami Jaffee was also given his moment to shine, although the band could not recognize what song he was playing.

Grohl laughed it off.

“Thanks for embarrassing us in front of this big crowd, Rami Jaffee, everyone,” Grohl said.

He continued bantering with the audience throughout the show. Grohl jokingly told them the band would play every song they’ve ever written. He said they would be there playing until Saturday morning.

He did, however, stick to his promise that the band would play for as long as they could. The Foo Fighters performed until nearly midnight.

“We’ll play until we literally can’t anymore,” Grohl said.

When an audience member requested the band play “Tom Sawyer,” off Rush’s album, “Moving Pictures,” the band could not remember the words and asked if any audience members were willing to perform. Grohl picked out Mike Carpenter, who was pointing to himself.

Carpenter ran onstage and hugged the band members before they began to play “Tom Sawyer.” Carpenter did, in fact, know all the words.

Carpenter is the lead vocalist in his own band, The Decadents.

Tiffany Sorensen, audience member, is a longtime Foo Fighters fan and was a Nirvana fan before that. She said she was excited to hear the new songs off of the “Concrete and Gold” album.

“I’m a ’90s baby so I like all that alternative rock and grunge rock,” Sorensen said.

Sorensen said she loved The Struts. She didn’t hear about them until a couple of days before the concert but looked them up on YouTube. She also said she’ll probably follow the opening band.

At the end of the concert, the Foo Fighters exited the stage twice, but came back at the audience’s request.

The band was gone for several minutes, but Hawkins and Grohl appeared on a screen above the stage, and they all returned.

On the screen, Grohl asked the audience how many more songs the band should play, letting the audience talk him up to five. He asked them if they wanted to have a Cake party, and played several songs by the band Cake, bringing the concert to a close.

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