Hanging at the VMAs with FOB and the Foos!
Sep 9, 2007, 07:50 PM | by Shirley Halperin
Categories: An EW Exclusive!, Music, Television
EW.com's Shirley Halperin is reporting live from the Foo Fighters and Fall Out Boy's private performance suites at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.
6:07 p.m. (PDT): "Did Britney do her thing?," Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl asks from the stage at his party. "Is it over? She did it? She made it? So what." Yes, it turns out we can't watch the show from the lounge or anywhere on the 26th floor, for that matter. The only thing coming through on the monitor is Timbaland's suite in action. So yeah, missed the whole Britney thing. (But here's what Dawnie Walton, who watched it on TV in New York, had to say about it.)
6:08: Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz just dashed into the Foos' suite from his down the hall to see them play "All My Life." What a fan.
6:15: "You know there's a bunch of beer bongs here? Have you had one yet?" Grohl asks a guy in the front row. "Dude, you have to try it." Sounds like "The Pretender," their new single, is on next. So this is the big live moment? Hard to tell what the hell's going on.
6:25: Grohl: "It's a little toasty in here. That wasn't in the contract." Understatement of the night. "I'm gonna do something so bad ass it's gonna make you sh-- out your butt. How's that for an introduction?" Now please welcome Mr. Serj Tankian for the most kick-ass cover of the Dead Kennedys "Holiday in Cambodia" that you'll ever witness. This is by far the most raging room in this joint.
6:31: Talk about surreal - Lemmy from Motorhead is sitting at the Foos' suite bar smoking away.
6:35: Cee-Lo is singing lead on Eagles of Death Metal's "Make It Wit Chu." Afterwards, he yells "F--- yeah, Foo fighters rule! Queens of the Stone Age, Eagles of Death Metal!" And with that, a much needed cool-off break for the Foos.
6:43: Serj is having his picture taken with Lemmy. The Foos are gearing up to rock once more. That break was awfully short.
7:03: I've moved down to Timbaland's party. Once people figure out Justin's with him, it"s off the hook. And how weird to be singing about technology? Hey, it's better than booty and bitches.
7:08: "AYO" sounds fantastic. Put your hands up! The people all oblige.
7:13: 50 Cent is walking towards me. I'm scared.
7:14: Oh wait, now he's making his way over to a slinky brunette on a stripper pole.
7:16: I moved to the Fall Out Boy room where Travis from Gym Class Heroes is about to join Cobra Starship for a song
7:18: The DJ is playing that awesome Bloc Party song (I always forget the name), and Kat Von D Is lounging on a couch, Grohl and Josh Homme just walked in. Let's see how they're holding up...
7:23: Well. Grohl has had his first beer bong. He handled it like a consummate pro and is already getting another. Their performance is over and now starts their own private after-party.
7:25: Grohl is teaching people how to beer bong in between posing for photos. He really is a great host.
7:38: Okay, there's people in bunny rabbit costumes roaming the 100-degree-hot hallway. And girls in provocative cop uniforms. Strange scene outside the FOB suite...
7:43: Wow, now Nate Mendel, Foos' bassist, is doing a beer bong. The quiet, some would say shy Foo Fighter left the kid at home (ridiculously adorable Noah, 3) and he's letting loose for the night. He has every right to after that insane set.
7:50: The verdict is coming in and it seems like Britney's performance did not really impress. And everyone's wondering what happened to the Criss Angel production? We heard there were supposed to be mirrors and a disappearing act. We'll have to get to the bottom of that.
7:54: Okay, so things are winding down, and at the same time, picking up. Dr. Dre, we hear, was the special guest (Madonna was the rampant rumor for that). But it's all good and everyone is about to head to the after party at the Palms pool. Or is it a beach? Who knows. We'll get the full report for you there.
Pre-show festivities:
12 p.m. (PDT): It's high noon and the Foo Fighters have arrived at their Palms suite way up on the 25th floor. Who's here? Lemmy from Motorhead, members of Queens of the Stone Age, Cee-Lo, Serj Tankian from System of a Down. All are performing with the Foos as special guests, covering everything from Prince to Dead Kennedy's. Oh, and there are 30 beer bongs on display above the bar. It's gonna be a party, alright.
12:30: The Foos practice Gerry Rafferty's ''Baker Street,'' which was not on the set list yesterday. Perhaps it will replace Led Zep's ''Kashmir,'' which was, er, a little rough at the rehearsal last night.
12:41: Dave Grohl is pacing in the Foo Fighters' lounge. He antsy to get going. ''Just waiting for Britney to get her sh-- together!'' he says mid-pace. (We heard Le Brit was more than three hours late for rehearsal on Friday, pushing everyone else back.)
1:28: Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme walks in carrying his adorable baby girl, who has red hair just like her dad's.
1:37: The boys from Fall Out Boy didn't start getting warmed up until about 12:30, and Pete Wentz, for one, was still trying to wake up from the night before. "Everyone was saying they weren't going out last night so they could party tonight," he said. "I was, like, I'm going out both nights! And now I'm thinking I''ll stay in tonight." So what parties did he hit? 50 Cent's and also the Kanye West bash, where he witnessed Kanye's rant on Britney.
1:49: The Foos give ''Kashmir'' another try, with drummer Taylor Hawkins at the microphone and members of Mastadon on bass, guitar, and drums.
2:10: Playing in Fall Out Boy's suite: "Sugar We're Going Down," by Fall Out Boy, "Shut Up and Drive" with Rihanna, "Thanks for the Memories" by FOB, "Beat It," by, yes, Michael Jackson, "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race," FOB remixed, featuring Lil Wayne, and "Clothes Off," Gym Class Heroes with FOB. We also learned that Panic! At the Disco will debut a brand new song called "Nine in the Afternoon."
3:40: Grohl is ready for wardrobe, which involves only a change of shirt. "This will work, right?" he asks, not really looking for approval from anyone other than his wife, Jordyn, in matching cerulean blue.
4:08: The red carpet is starting, but Britney's not going to walk it. Instead, she chain smokes in a hallway near her dressing room wearing only a robe over her very skimpy performance outfit.
4:16: After a two-minute drive around the back side of the Palms, The Foos have arrived... on the carpet, that is. Behind them is Celeb DJ Steve Aoki and Cee-Lo, who, of course, will be singing with the band a little later. The Foos will be interviewed by John Norris who, prior to going live, is sucking down a cigarette. Taylor, standing on the riser with mic in his hand, looks a little lost. Meanwhile, Chris Brown just arrived and is entering the carpet from the wrong end. Cee-Lo gets a little powder on his bare crown and he and the Foos are ready for their MTV close-up.
4:42: Spotted toward the rear of the red carpet: Rihanna in a gorgeous hot pink gown and her signature bob complete with skunk stripe.
4:44: Right next to the carpet, Palms patrons are actually gambling. Like, for real. Considering how hectic this place is, it's amazing that there's still gambling going on at all. Then again, this is the city with no clocks.
5:00: Serj from System of a Down hits the packed red carpet looking dashing in a black suit.
5:04: It's time to make our way off the carpet, pushing through massive crowds of people. One obnoxious mtv.com reporter yells to the Foos, "I loved that song Jeremy spoke in class today!"
5:15: Coming off the elevator, I hear FOB getting started. The band suites are really, really small, to the tune of 40 people or so, and incredibly hot, but the guys are ready to rock. Back at the Foos' suite, we witness the first beer bong of the night, courtesy of keyboardist Rami Jaffee's girlfriend, Emma. "My kind of girl," remarks a Foo suite guest.
5:36: Ran into FOB's suite again as they were pre-taping "Thnks Fr Th Mmrs." The show is kicking off in 25 minutes and you can feel the frenzy start.
5:46: Everyone is waiting with baited breath for Britney to open the show. 2 plasma screens for around 40 people? Should be ok. We're all just hoping there will actually be a feed and we can watch it - live! You guys, of course, have a 7 minute delay.
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