Foo Fighters guitarist Pat Smear to skip shows after “bizarre” accident
The band announced the line-up change on social media, explaining guitarist Pat Smear would be absent for several shows as he waited for “several” broken bones in his foot to heal.
Sharing a mock-up image of a tabloid newspaper, complete with the headline “Pat Smear Bizarre Gardening Accident!”, the band’s Instagram account said the musician, whose legal name is Georg Albert Ruthenberg, had injured his left foot.
“In the classic tradition of rockstars having bizarre gardening accidents, Pat Smear has apparently rung in the new year by smashing the s**t out of his left foot,” the caption said – a reference to the parody movie Spinal Tap in which a rock and roll drummer was described as dying in a “bizarre gardening accident”.
Despite the joke, the post did not detail how Pat, 66, had come into his injuries.
“This means he’ll unfortunately be missing a few shows while the multiple broken bones in his foot heal,” the caption continued. “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.”
In Pat’s place, the post said, “Beck and St. Vincent guitar wizard Jason Falkner will be filling in for Pat while he’s on the mend” as the band continued its tour, which in January was scheduled to include shows in Mexico, the United States and Australia.
