Foo Fighters have added a new Melbourne show to their 2023 Australia tour.
The new show will take place Wednesday December 6, two days after the original Melbourne date. It’ll be at the same venue of AAMI Park and feature special guests The Chats and Teenage Joans.
First announced June 5, the Foo Fighters’ Australia and New Zealand tour will commence on November 29 in Perth before taking the band to Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane throughout December, followed by Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington the following month. The Chats will serve as main support on five of the Australian dates, while UK duo Hot Milk will join the band as openers in Sydney, the first Melbourne show and Brisbane. A full list of tour dates, and support acts for each show, is available below.
A pre-sale run by promoter Frontier Touring is running now and can be accessed here. Tickets to both the Melbourne shows will be available from 1pm AEST. General on-sale begins Thursday June 15 at different timings depending on the city – find more info here.
The tour will be the Foos’ first tour of both countries since 2018. It’s slated to take place almost exactly a year after the Foos had previously scheduled dates in both countries, which were subsequently cancelled following the death of Taylor Hawkins in March 2022. Earlier that month, Hawkins had played what would be his last-ever Australian concert: the band played a one-off show in the regional Victorian city of Geelong on March 4, supported by Amyl & The Sniffers.
After performing two tribute shows to Hawkins later that year, Foo Fighters confirmed in December 2022 that they would be continuing without him. Josh Freese was confirmed as Hawkins’ official replacement last month, and the band played their first live show back on May 24 at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion in Gilford.
A four-star NME review of their Boston Calling set – which featured guest appearances from Hawkins’ son Shane and Grohl’s daughter Violet – praised Freese for “[taking] on the role of main curio confidently” and “establishing himself throughout the set”.
“Any spirit, joy de vivre, or vitality one could have forgiven Grohl for losing in the last year he double downs on now, as he leans into his emotions and delivers a performance of depth and grit,” it read.
Foo Fighters recently released their 11th studio album, ‘But Here We Are’. In a five-star review, NME described the album as “a beautiful, noisy celebration of brotherhood and a stark, painful exploration of loss”. The record went to Number One in Australia, marking the Foos’ ninth chart-topping album in the country to date. It also debuted at Number One in New Zealand, marking their eighth chart-topper in the market.
Foo Fighters’ Australia and New Zealand tour dates are:
NOVEMBER
Wednesday 29 – Perth, HBF Park (with The Chats and Teenage Joans)
DECEMBER
Saturday 2 – Adelaide, Coopers Stadium (with The Chats and Body Type)
Monday 4 – Melbourne, AAMI Park (with Teen Jesus & The Jean Teasers and Hot Milk)
Wednesday 6 – Melbourne, AAMI Park (with The Chats and Teenage Joans)
Saturday 9 – Sydney, Accor Stadium (with The Chats and Hot Milk)
Tuesday 12 – Brisbane, Suncorp Stadium (with The Chats and Hot Milk)
JANUARY
Saturday 20 – Auckland, GO Media Stadium (with TBA and Dick Move)
Wednesday 24 – Christchurch, Orangetheory Stadium (with TBA and Dick Move)
Saturday 27 – Wellington, Sky Stadium (with TBA and Dick Move)