NEWS
(L-R) Chris Shiflett, Rami Jaffee, Dave Grohl, Nate Mendel, Pat Smear and Taylor Hawkins pose onstage as The Foo Fighters reopen Madison Square Garden on June 20, 2021 in New York City.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for FFIt’s here! It happened! After 15 months (and a week or so) of near total darkness for most indoor American concert venues, the lights are back on. Last weekend, the Foo Fighters sold out New York’s Madison Square Garden at full capacity, indoors, in person.
The band sold 15,371 tickets, grossing over $1.4 million on their June 20 comeback performance, according to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore. “Full capacity” can deceptively vary from arena to arena and from show to show, but there is no debating the Foo Fighters’ status. Across 662 shows reported since 2015, MSG’s average cap is 15,140, a couple hundred seats less than Saturday’s show.
While it may feel shocking to have full-fledged arena shows back in action, it is no surprise that Dave Grohl & co. posted such strong numbers. Dating back to 1995, the Foo Fighters have grossed a reported $209.7 million and sold 3.38 million tickets across 300 (exactly) headline shows.
Sunday's return marked the band’s fourth trip to the Garden, and their 10th report of a New York show throughout their career. (Billboard Boxscore may only have reports for a portion of the act’s tour history.)
They started out in relatively humble fashion with an Aug. 13, 1995 performance at The Academy, playing to a sold-out crowd of 1,600 fans who each spent somewhere between $10 and $12.50 for a ticket. The Academy led to Roseland Ballroom, Hammerstein Ballroom and the Beacon Theatre before the Foos took on MSG for the first time in 2008.
The Foo Fighters hit a career high with a double-header in 2018, grossing $2.7 million from 31,000 tickets sold. But on a per-show basis, the June 20, 2021 concert edges it out as the band’s biggest NYC show yet.
The last report from Madison Square Garden was a sold-out show for The Brothers on March 10, 2020. The next scheduled act at the venue is the Eagles on Aug. 22 and 24, followed by Banda MS and Dan + Shay in September.
The Foo Fighters will hit the road again with six shows from July 28 - Aug. 9. They, and many others, are just getting started.
PETA has called on Cage The Elephant to temporarily change their name ahead of their upcoming NFL halftime performance in Munich later this week.
The band are scheduled to perform during the New England Patriots vs. Detroit Lions game this Sunday (November 15).
Ahead of the show, PETA has asked Cage The Elephant to change their name across their social media accounts to Free The Elephant for one week.
According to a press release from the animal rights group, an elephant named Okha “has spent most of her life forced to perform in the circus under the threat of punishment”. The organisation is now seeking support to “help retire her to a reputable sanctuary”.
PETA also alleges that Okha is “currently being hauled around in a trailer with an exhibitor, Brian Franzen”, who supposedly “has a history of felony cruelty to animals charges” and “was caught on camera yanking and striking an elephant with a bullhook”.
In a letter addressed to Cage The Elephant, PETA wrote: “There ain’t no rest for Okha. We think you’d agree that she deserves the chance to spend her remaining years in peace with care, dignity, and respect.
“Lending a rendition of your iconic name for a short while could… help us come a little closer to ending animal cruelty in circuses.”
PETA added that it has already held more than “30 demonstrations on Okha’s behalf, contacted venues hosting animal acts, and rallied tens of thousands of supporters to call for her retirement”.
The group is also asking the public to “call on venues to stop hosting circuses that use animals and help retire Okha to a reputable sanctuary where she could roam expansive habitats, forage, receive expert veterinary care, and have the companionship of other elephants”.
Cage The Elephant have not yet made a public statement about the request, and NME has reached out to the band for a response. Franzen has also not issued a public response to the allegations made by PETA.
The request follows a previous approach by PETA to Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant, asking him to temporarily adopt the name ‘Robert Plant Wool’ to help promote alternatives to sheep’s wool.
PETA has also previously urged Nintendo to redesign the popular Mario Kart World character Cow, claiming that its current appearance encourages animal cruelty.
Meanwhile, Cage The Elephant recently revealed details of their upcoming album ‘Dying In Reverse’, which is set to arrive on February 5, 2027, through Big Loud Rock. Fans can pre-order the record here.
The band are also preparing for a UK and European tour in 2027. You can check out the full list of dates here and find any remaining tickets here.
