Foo Fighters dedicate MSG show to late stage manager

Andy Pollard passed away on June 18th

Foo Fighters dedicate their June 20th Madison Square Garden show to the memory of the band’s longtime stage manager, Andy Pollard, who passed away unexpectedly this morning (Fri, June 18th). Pollard served as the band’s stage manager for 12 years.

“We are shocked and devastated by this loss. We can’t imagine being onstage without Andy there by our side. He was not only a key member of our team but a dear friend and wonderful father. Our hearts go out to his partner Sophie Peacock, their children Arlo and Ren, and his family and loved ones,” the band shares in a statement.

The band is set to perform the first full capacity show in New York since March 2020 at Madison Square Garden on Sunday. This historic moment will mark Foo Fighters ushering in the post-COVID arena rock era with Madison Square Garden’s first concert in more than 460 days.

Foo Fighters first headlined a sold out Garden in February 2008 on their Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace Tour, returning to rock the venue for another sell out show in November 2011 on the Wasting Light Tour. Most recently, the band sold out two nights at The World’s Most Famous Arena in July 2018, on their Concrete and Gold Tour.

Earlier this week, the band performed its full capacity show — and California’s — since the pandemic at The Canyon in Agoura Hills for free. Tickets were only $26 and concertgoers were given 12 hours notice before three thousand patrons showed up to purchase all 600 tickets.

“People were offering me $1,000 for a ticket. Foo Fighters could have asked anything they wanted for those tickets and sold 600. They insisted, and we sold the tickets offline for $26,” The Canyon owner Lance Sterling tells Billboard. “It cost the band between $30,000 to $50,000 to throw that event. I got the Foo Fighters’ contract and it said, ‘Compensation: $0.’ They didn’t want any money. They let me keep everything. I saved the contract. I’m going to frame it.”

Having confirmed their appearances atop the 2021 lineups of Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo and BottleRock, Foo Fighters are returning to the road on the 25th 26th Anniversary Tour this summer. The first set of dates kick off July 28th and wrap August 9th with Redkey as support.

On July 17th, Dave Grohl and Co will release Hail Satin, a tribute to the Bee Gees, as The Dee Gees on limited edition vinyl packaged in an era-appropriate rainbow mylar sleeve. The disco record is part of the second Record Store Day Drops in 2021 and features Bee Gees covers on one side and live at 606 renditions of roughly half of Foo Fighters Medicine at Midnight album.

Buddy Iahn
Buddy Iahn

Buddy Iahn founded The Music Universe when he decided to juxtapose his love of web design and music. As a lifelong drummer, he decided to take a hiatus from playing music to report it. The website began as a fun project in 2013 to one of the top independent news sites. Email: info@themusicuniverse.com