MUMBAI: After Dave Grohl sustained a broken leg during a concert in Gothenburg last Saturday, it was announced that his band, Foo Fighters, will not be performing at this year's Glastonbury music festival. The band was scheduled to headline the Pyramid Stage on Friday, 26 June.
Foo Fighters issued a statement on its Facebook page, stating, "Due to injuries sustained in Dave Grohl's fall from the stage during Foo Fighters' June 12 show at Ullevi Stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden, doctors have required the cancellation of the remainder of the band's dates in the UK and Europe." These dates include their scheduled performances at Glastonbury, Wembley Stadium and Murrayfield Stadium in the UK and Festivalpark Werchter in Belgium.
Grohl fractured his right fibula on 13 June, falling off stage during the Swedish concert. Immediately after the accident, Grohl had to be taken away to have an operation on his leg which has left him with 6 metal screws in him leg. On the Foo Fighters website, Grohl wrote a personal message saying, "The most important thing now is for me to recover from the surgery, to keep my leg elevated so as to keep swelling down and prevent any infection/complication that could do long term damage. I am not out of the woods yet, folks… Which means, and it kills me to say it… the doctors have told us to cancel shows. They have advised me to lay low for a while. I am really so sorry, guys. You know I hate to do it, but I am afraid it is just not physically possible for me at the moment. We are doing our best right now to work out a plan, so bear with us. You know we are good for our word. But for now, I need to make sure we have YEARS of gigs ahead of us..."
Speaking on the Foo Fighters being absent from the festival line-up, Glastonbury Festival co-organiser Emily Eavis told BBC Somerset, "I did see the footage on YouTube and when he carried on playing. I am so sorry to hear about his broken leg. Poor Dave Grohl, it was a pain for him, and it was an amazing moment." When probed on which music act would replace Foo Fighters, Eavis said, "I am not sure what the outcome is going to be here yet." However, she did add there is a contingency plan.
This would not be the first time organisers have had to make a last-minute change to the line-up. English virtual band Gorillaz replaced U2 in 2010, after Bono was required to undergo back surgery. Five years earlier, Basement Jaxx replaced Kylie Minogue, who was forced to pull out after being diagnosed with breast cancer.