''Foo Fighters: Back and Forth'' is a 2011

rockumentary A concert film, or concert movie, is a film that showcases a live performance from the perspective of a concert goer, the subject of which is an extended live performance or concert by either a musician or a stand-up comedian. Early history The ...

about the American rock band

Foo Fighters Foo Fighters are an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Foo Fighters was initially formed as a one-man project by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl. Following the success of the eponymous debut album, Grohl (lead vocals, guitar) ...

, directed by filmmaker

James Moll James Moll is an American director and producer of film documentaries and television documentaries. His documentary work has earned him an Academy Award, two Emmys, and a Grammy. Moll's production company, Allentown Productions Inc., has bee ...

. The film documents the band's history and the recording process for their seventh studio album ''

Wasting Light ''Wasting Light'' is the seventh studio album by American rock band Foo Fighters, released on April 12, 2011, through Roswell and RCA Records. Wanting to capture the essence of their earlier work and avoid the artificiality of digital recording, ...

''. The film's title is taken from a song of the same name on ''Wasting Light''. In 2012, ''Back and Forth'' won the

Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video The Grammy Award for Best Music Film is an accolade presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally named the Gramophone Awards, to performers, directors, and producers of quality videos or musical programs. ...

Background

The film includes material taken from over 1,000 hours of historical and new footage, and interviews with the current members of Foo Fighters, former bandmembers

William Goldsmith William Goldsmith (born July 4, 1972) is an American drummer best known as a member of Sunny Day Real Estate and former member of Foo Fighters. Currently drumming for Assertion, he has toured with Mike Watt and IQU, performed on many recording ...

and

Franz Stahl Franz Kenneth Stahl (born October 30, 1961) is an American guitarist, best known for being a member of both the Washington, D.C. hardcore punk band Scream with his brother Pete Stahl, and the alternative rock band Foo Fighters. Life and caree ...

, and producer

Butch Vig Bryan David "Butch" Vig (born August 2, 1955) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer, best known as the drummer and co-producer of the alternative rock band Garbage and the producer of the diamond-selling Nirvana album ''Neve ...

. Frontman

Dave Grohl David Eric Grohl (born January 14, 1969) is an American musician. He is the founder of the rock band Foo Fighters, in which he is the lead singer, guitarist, and principal songwriter. Prior to forming Foo Fighters, he was the drummer of gru ...

has said the main inspiration for the film was the decision to record ''Wasting Light'' in the garage of his mansion in

Encino, California Encino (Spanish language, Spanish for "oak") is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. History In 1769, the Spanish Portolá expedition, first Europeans to see inland areas of California, traveled north t ...

– "Personally, I thought it would be a good idea to now tell the story of the last 16 years, so it would make more sense to watch us make a record in a garage. After selling out fucking stadiums and becoming this big rock band, why would you make a garage record? To me the first hour and 20 minutes of the movie is leading up to that moment." He also added that while the band "always believed a little mystery is important to rock’n’roll", he considered it was time to tell their story, and referencing the

Tom Petty Thomas Earl Petty (October 20, 1950October 2, 2017) was an American musician who was the lead vocalist and guitarist of the rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, formed in 1976. He previously led the band Mudcrutch, was a member of the lat ...

documentary ''

Runnin' Down a Dream "Runnin' Down a Dream" is a song co-written and recorded by Tom Petty. It was released in July 1989 as the second single from his first solo album ''Full Moon Fever''. "Runnin' Down a Dream" achieved reasonable chart success, reaching number 23 b ...

'', "If we wait any longer, we’re going to wind up with a four-hour-long documentary".

Release and reception

''Back and Forth'' saw its debut on March 15, 2011 at the

SXSW South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Te ...

festival in

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...

. The first session was followed by a surprise Foo Fighters live performance, which included the entirety of ''Wasting Light'' in its setlist.Foo Fighters Documentary Premiere Followed By Surprise Show
, VH1 On 12 February 2012, the documentary won a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

in the Best Long Form Music Video category.

Charts

Certifications

Awards

References

External links

Official website
* {{Grammy Award for Best Music Film 2011 video albums Foo Fighters video albums Rockumentaries Columbia Records video albums Films directed by James Moll Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video Foo Fighters live albums