WE ARE THE THOUSAND

 

Remember that awesome video that went viral a few years back where a vast amount of musicians amassed on the small town of Cesena in Italy to pay homage to the band the Foo Fighters? I certainly remember seeing it for the first time and thinking how cool it was, aided by the fact the Foo Fighters are one of my favourite bands of all time. Little did I know that there was more to it all than just jamming for a hit viral video.

We Are the Thousand follows Fabio Zaffagnini on his mission to get the Foo Fighters to come and play in Cesena, a small Italian town with a passion for music. Gathering a thousand musicians; guitarists, drummers and singers, Zaffagnini offers them the chance to play Foo Fighters' hit song Learn to Fly together and gain the attention of rock superstar Dave Grohl.

I may be a little biased when watching We Are the Thousand, being a big fan of the Foo Fighters, but I just had a huge smile across my face for the entire runtime of this wonderful documentary, the passion these people have for playing music and the joy that exudes from them as they do so is just a sight of pure bliss to behold.

Anita Rivaroli pieces together interviews with the members of the band and the organisers who made it all possible, the fact they not only got to meet the Foo Fighters but had them actually come and play a gig in Cesena being like something from a fairytale. It's funny and even quite emotional at times, the power that music can have on people's lives honestly quite a beautiful thing to witness.

To their credit, the Rockin'1000 have gone from strength to strength since this all went down, playing major stadiums and covering a number of iconic rock songs for exuberant crowds. A story of small, humble intentions leading to a success story of this grand scale is something worth cheering about and long may it continue for Fabio Zaffagnini and the Rockin'1000.

Verdict: ★★★★