EDMONTON - It's exactly one week from the 14th anniversary of Kurt Cobain's suicide - and you have to wonder what he would've thought of the Foo Fighters.

Here's his former drummer leading one of the most ferocious bands in modern rock, winning Grammy awards, scoring No. 1 records, touring sold-out hockey arenas, including the one last night at Rexall Place, and earning rave reviews all the way. See below for the latest gush.

Sell out?

Would Kurt cry "sell out"? Or would he congratulate his old bandmate on his well-earned success? Irrelevant question, you say? I don't think so. Nirvana changed rock 'n' roll in the early '90s as surely as the Beatles changed it in the early '60s. Kurt and Co. didn't last long enough to make as much great music, but it was enough.

There wouldn't be radio stations that play bands like the Foo Fighters without Nirvana, and there wouldn't be a Foo Fighters without the death of Kurt Cobain. Ask another question: Given how prolific and powerful the Foos have been since 1995 - enjoying a far longer reign than Nirvana ever did - what kind of music would Nirvana be making if Kurt was alive and they were still together?

Pretty cool, I bet.

OK, this is irrelevant. You caught me. I'm just trying to fill space to flesh out my gut reaction to last night's show: WOW. No further words are necessary.

But here they are, anyway. For a sold-out crowd of more than 14,000, this was the kind of rock concert that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up, and not just from the ear-splitting volume.

Dave Grohl leads his band with passion, holding nothing back, pulling out all the stops, giving all there is to give, pick your show biz cliche. His secret weapon: He is the best screamer in the rock, including all the silly screamo bands. His voice was by far the loudest thing from stage.

The Foos' material is pretty standard stuff - sturdy, catchy anthems that sound good on the radio, filled with amplified affirmations. "It's times like these you learn to live again" is a particularly hopeful one. Later, came one of my favourites: "Hook me up a new revolution 'cause this one is a lie" in Learn to Fly. Read into that what you will.

Live is where these songs become more than mere "hits." The frontman began the show by milking cheers from every corner of the building like a gladiator, as he walked along a catwalk to the centre of the arena.

They can do all these Big Rock poses because they're sort of making fun of them, but that means they get to do them anyway. Cool trick. Behind Grohl, the soft and gentle strains of Let It Die wafted forth. But it didn't stay soft and gentle for long - and the poor cello player was soon buried in the thundering mix. This was not a soft and gentle show, never mind the unplugged stuff, which just made the loud bits seem louder.

Those who've seen this band before were warned: "Those shows sucked b---s compared to what we're going to do tonight," said Grohl. He noted they've been around for a long time and that they have plenty of material to fill at least two hours. He asked the crowd, "Are you cool with that?"

There was general agreement in the audience. Key word: wow.

The Foo Fighters never intended or claimed to be the "voice of a generation."

Nor were they ever forced to deny it.

They never defined a trend or led a revolution, God forbid. It's just a rock band.

They come, they rock, they go to the next town and rock again.

It's as simple as that - and maybe that's what makes them so great.

Getting to our opening acts: You know those bands that write songs with soft, mournful verses, but then surprise you with super loud high-intensity choruses, like, oh, say, Nirvana and every damned band that copied them, or the Foo Fighters, which is entitled to? Florida foursome Against Me has thrown that technique out the window. Their verses are loud, their choruses are loud, the guitars chug at full distortion, the pounding beats are relentless, the singers shout everything at the top of their lungs. It's all loud. No wonder Grohl and Co. picked them.

With just enough pop sensibility to crack the mainstream, but not too much to saturate it, Against Me is apparently the next big thing.

Aside from a weak drummer, the band could be hampered by trying too hard or - if lyrics are any indication - thinking too hard.

Sample: "There's an ocean in my soul where the waters do not curve."

What the heck is that supposed to mean? And what does it mean over 180 beats per minute at 120 decibels?

Up first, HiFi Handgrenades wins both best band name and best name that sounds like the band.

The Detroit group sounded like your standard full-tilt punk band with Bryan Adams on lead vocals half the time, which was weird.

They pulled off a set of joyously rebellious rock without too many hooks to earn the dreaded "pop-punk" label. Of course, some of the tunes could've used stronger hooks. You just can't win, eh?