Wembley gets ready for The Foos

The Foo Fighters kick off the first of their two nights with Radio 1 at Wembley Stadium tonight.

The band last played the venue at the Live Earth gig, alongside Madonna and the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 2007.

This time around the Foos' support artists include UK bands Supergrass and The Futureheads.

The Foos, fronted by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, kicked off their UK dates with a sell out show at the Manchester City Stadium on 2 June.

Radio 1 concerts

Jo Whiley's show on Friday 6 June is coming live from Wembley stadium. She'll be chatting to Dave Grohl before the first gig tonight.

The band's latest album went to number one in the UK album chart

Jo said: "I think the Foo Fighters want to go out in style.

"Their UK fans mean a lot to them and it's like a second home here for them.

"I'm sure they're planning something special.

"It's nearly the end of their world tour and then they'll be crawling back into their cave."

On Saturday, Fearne Cotton is doing the Request Show live backstage at Wembley.

And you can hear all the highlights of the gig on Zane Lowe's show from 7pm on Monday 9 June.

Wembley preparation

It's taken concert organisers 72 hours straight with nightshifts to build the stage at Wembley.

The stage is about 100ft (30m) in diameter with a stealth video screen all the way around and another walkway so Dave Grohl can get closer to the crowd.

WEMBLEY CONCERT FACTS Biggest attendance: 83,000 for Rod Stewart in 1995 First concert: Rock and Roll festival in 1972 First concert at new stadium: George Michael in 2007 3,500 staff will be working at each Foo Fighters gig The stage will be 100ft (30m) in diameter

Promoters say they are the biggest gigs the Foo Fighters have done.

There will also be up to 3,500 staff working at Wembley on Friday and Saturday night including stewards, hospitality and retail staff.

The Foo Fighters played a gig for Radio 1 listeners last summer in Brighton and also appeared at Radio 1's Big Weekend in Sunderland in 2005.

The band - lead man Dave Grohl, bassist Nate Mendel, drummer Taylor Hawkins and guitarist Chris Shiflett - have won six Grammys and two Brit awards.

They finish their world tour supporting sixth album Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace in September after gigs in Europe and America.