FOO FIGHTERS Guitarist PAT SMEAR To Miss Tour Dates Due To 'Bizarre Gardening Accident'

FOO FIGHTERS guitarist Pat Smear will miss the band's next few shows tour while he recovers from an injury to his left foot. Multi-instrumentalist Jason Falkner, who has played with Beck and St. Vincent and was also a member of the 1990s power pop band JELLYFISH, will fill in for Pat while Smear is on the mend.

"In the classic tradition of rockstars having bizarre gardening accidents, Pat Smear has apparently rung in the new year by smashing the shit out of his left foot," the FOO FIGHTERS wrote in a social media post earlier today. The "bizarre gardening accident" was a punchline from the "This Is Spinal Tap" documentary and the cause of death for one of the many fictional SPINAL TAP drummers.

"We'll miss our beloved Pat as much as you will, but we want him fully healed and back on his feet as soon as possible," the FOO FIGHTERS added.

FOO FIGHTERS are scheduled to play three shows in January: in Mexico, Los Angeles and Texas.

Smear is expected to rejoin FOO FIGHTERS in time for their May 8 appearance at the Welcome To Rockville festival in Daytona Beach, Florida and their summer 2026 European tour, which is scheduled to launch on June 10 in Oslo, Norway.

Last October, FOO FIGHTERS confirmed their first stadium tour since the massive 2023-2024 "Everything Or Nothing At All" run that sold out football and baseball fields the world over. Kicking off August 4, 2026 at Rogers Stadium in Toronto, the new tour will see FOO FIGHTERS bringing the maximum volume euphoria of the band's recent surprise U.S. club gigs and overseas outdoor / arena spectaculars to a total of 12 North American cities, concluding September 26, 2026 at Las Vegas's Allegiant Stadium. QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE will be direct support on all dates except September 12 in Fargo.

October 23 also saw the release of a new FOO FIGHTERS song, "Asking For A Friend". The track was a follow-up to the previous standalone single, "Today's Song".

FOO FIGHTERS played their first concert with new drummer Ilan Rubin on September 13, 2025 at the Fremont Theater in San Luis Obispo, California.

The Grohl-fronted outfit announced the surprise show the day before, revealing that it would play an all-ages gig at the 900-capacity venue, marking the band's first official performance with Rubin, the former NINE INCH NAILS drummer who joined the FOO FIGHTERS earlier this year.

At one point, Grohl introduced Rubin from the stage. "Everybody else has said it," Dave said. "I finally get the opportunity to say, 'Ladies and gentlemen, will you please welcome…' The most badass motherfucker, Ilan Rubin, is playing drums in the FOO FIGHTERS right now. It's official. You can stamp the passport."

Prior to the San Luis Obispo concert, FOO FIGHTERS had been off the road since September 2024.

FOO FIGHTERS announced Rubin as their new drummer in July 2025.

Rubin was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame with NINE INCH NAILS in 2020.

Rubin stepped into the FOO FIGHTERS as the replacement for Josh Freese, who was fired from the group in May 2025. Freese, meanwhile, who was the NAILS' touring drummer from 2005 to 2008, returned to the band last summer.