Foo Fighters granted permission to swear, drink and smoke during Jakarta concert
Foo Fighters have been granted permission to swear on-stage, drink alcohol and smoke when they play Jakarta, Indonesia, later this year.
The performance will mark Foo Fighters’ first visit to Jakarta since 1996. Their recently announced Asian tour will begin in the Indonesian capital at Carnaval Ancol on October 2nd, before they play at the Singapore F1 Grand Prix, then head to Japan for shows in Tokyo and Osaka.
Now, Ravel Entertainment CEO Ravel Junardy, the concert promoter, confirmed to the Jakarta Globe: “They’ve asked for the freedom to curse on stage, as well as permission to smoke and drink during the show.”
However, Junardy stated that the exemption given to Foo Fighters doesn’t extend to the band having the ability to discuss controversial topics, adding, “As long as it doesn’t touch on sensitive topics like race, religion, or Indonesian cultural values, we’ll allow it.”
Foo Fighters will also be flying in their own private chef to take care of catering, but Janardy plans to ensure the rock group sample Indonesian cuisine, stating, “We’ve received their menu, but we’ll also serve them some local specialities.”
For the concert, Foo Fighters will be bringing 12 containers of stage and production gear to Indonesia, including stage lighting that the promoters will import. “We’re importing the lights to meet their standards,” Junardy confirmed.
Earlier this year, Jakarta hosted a performance from Green Day and Junardy is confident the Foo Fighters show will eclipse it, sharing, “The Foo Fighters stage will definitely be more spectacular than what we built for Green Day.”
Foo Fighters have not played live since last September, and Jakarta will mark their first performance in over 12 months.
As it stands, it will also be their first show with a new drummer after Josh Freese recently revealed he was fired from the band. Freese shared on May 16th: “The Foo Fighters called me Monday night to let me know they’ve decided ‘to go in a different direction with their drummer.’ No reason was given.”
He added, “Regardless, I enjoyed the past two years with them, both on and off stage, and I support whatever they feel is best for the band. In my 40 years of drumming professionally, I’ve never been let go from a band, so while I’m not angry-just a bit shocked and disappointed. But as most of you know I’ve always worked freelance and bounced between bands so, I’m fine. Stay tuned for my “Top 10 possible reasons Josh got booted from the Foo Fighters” list.”
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