Foo Fighters frenzy hits NJ as fans camp before 4 a.m. for $30 tickets

✅Fans lined up as early as 4 a.m. for $30 Foo Fighters tickets

✅Throwback, in-person-only sale turned into a festival-like campout vibe

✅Dave Grohl delivers mix of classics and new songs at New York pop-up concert

SAYREVILLE — For a couple of hours on Thursday, the Starland Ballroom was transported back to the '90s as tickets went on sale for a pop-up concert by Foo Fighters.

Tickets for the Saturday night concert were $30 and had to be purchased in person at the legendary concert venue, just like it used to be. Would-be concert goers showed up around 4 a.m with camping chairs to claim their spot in line.

The throwback feeling was not lost on Starland production manager Chris Johnson, who said it was like a pre-concert festival complete with bagels and coffee.

"There was a tremendous vibe. We put some speakers outside and played some Foo Fighters like a listening party, and it felt like a cool vibe. Everybody had a good attitude. Everybody was excited. And it kind of was against all the odds. There were clouds in the sky, there were puddles on the ground, it was like a big, group, family camping trip," Johnson said.

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Starland's reputation

While Johnson couldn't get into the details of how the concert came together, he said the Starland has some notoriety in the music industry. Artists from Bruce Springsteen, Green Day and Blink 182 to Bon Jovi, Justin Timberlake, Nickelback and Wu-Tang Clan have played the Starland in its 23 years.

"Anytime I travel anywhere and people find out that I have anything to do with the venue, they're like, Oh man, we heard about the place," Johnson said. "Maybe that had something to do with it."

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Dave Grohl delivers mix of classic hits and new tracks

The band performed their first pop-up concert Thursday night at Irving Plaza in New York.

When the band emerged, it was six minutes after 8 p.m. “How ya doing?” energetic front man Dave Grohl said in greeting the crowd, promising a lot of new tracks and some “old school.”

And the band delivered: 2002's “All My Life” and “Times Like These” were next to late '90s hits like “Monkey Wrench” and “My Hero,” and week-old songs “Spit Shine” and “My Favorite Toy.”

“Sometimes I ask the audience if they love rock ‘n’ roll music,” Grohl told the crowd. “I'm not gonna ask you all because I know you love rock ‘n’ roll music.”

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