Foo Fighters brought out comedian Dave Chappelle for a rendition of Radiohead’s ‘Creep’ at Madison Square Garden.
The ‘Times Like These’ hitmakers played the legendary venue on Sunday night (20.06.21) for what marked the first full-capacity show in New York City since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.
And Dave Grohl and co had a special treat in store for fans.
The two Daves were on top form, with the frontman on guitar and the 47-year-old stand-up on lead vocals.
Chapelle has previously duetted with Ed Sheeran on the ’90s classic.
Attendees at the concert were required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, with the last dose received at least 14 days before the show. Children under 16 were permitted to present a negative coronavirus test instead.
And the rock legends couldn’t be happier to get back on stage.
Grohl said prior to the gig: “We’ve been waiting for this day for over a year. And Madison Square Garden is going to feel that HARD.
“New York, get ready for a long ass night of screaming our heads off together to 26 years of Foos.”
The ‘Best Of You’ group last headlined the venue in 2018 for two nights on their ‘Concrete and Gold’ tour, and have also previously played there in both 2008 and 2011.
Basketball fans have been able to attend New York Knicks games at MSG throughout the season, with separate sections for vaccinated and unvaccinated fans, but a full capacity gig hadn’t been staged there since March 2020.
Since the pandemic began, the Foo Fighters have released a new album, ‘Medicine at Midnight’ and Dave also brought out collaborations with Sir Mick Jagger and his own daughter, Violet.
And the 52-year-old singer recently admitted he finds it impossible to take a break, no matter what he promises himself.
He said recently: “We kind of work this cycle where we’ll go into the studio and make a record, then we run around playing clubs and doing promo for a couple of months, and then we release the record and tour for a year and a half.
“By the time we’re finished with that cycle, we’re all exhausted and we promise ourselves we’ll never put each other through that f****** hell ever again.
“I say it every f****** time. You should ask my wife. She’s like, ‘I hear it every time – ‘I’m exhausted, I’m never doing this again, this is the last record, blah, blah, blah.’…
“Within two and a half weeks, I’m demoing s*** and sending it to the band.”
The Download Festival pilot is “100 per cent” evidence that festivals can go ahead, the event’s organiser says.
Melvin Benn, managing director of the Festival Republic group, has hailed the three-day government test event at Donington Park for the “level of compliance around testing and requirements”.
A reduced capacity of 10,000 fans saw the likes of headliners Bullet For My Valentine, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes and Enter Shikari after showing proof of a negative PCR test, and the festival boss doesn’t see why music events can’t be attended at full capacity without social distancing and masks.
Melvin said: “It’s extraordinary really. It’s really fantastic. I am very heart-warmed by it all.
“What is extraordinary about it is the level of compliance around the testing and requirements we have is absolutely extraordinary.
“In a way that you would expect when you are in the middle or towards the tail end of a pandemic, that level of compliance is extraordinary.
“It is coupled with a level of normality that is equally extraordinary when you have been out of it for so long.”
Quizzed on whether it’s impossible for larger-scale events to take place, he replied: “It is evidence that this is not true. It is 100% evidence that it is not true. This is a very clear demonstration that you can do it.”