Foo Fighters “cancelled” a planned tour for summer 2025, according to Hellfest founder and director Ben Barbaud.
Yesterday saw Hellfest – France’s largest music festival – announce its line-up for next year’s edition. Headlining the four-day event will be Muse, Linkin Park, KoRn and Scorpions.
During an interview with Le Parisien, Barbaud was asked about he he came to book Muse. This came after he once said that the band would never play at the heavy metal-focused festival.
“They were offered to me on a platter,” he responded (translated from French). “A month ago, I was offered to program them with a handful of other European festivals.”
Barbaud continued: “Foo Fighters having cancelled their summer tour, Muse was called in as reinforcements.
“I accepted because I was missing a headliner on Friday and because the Hellfest audience is more and more open. With age, I too have matured, I am less sectarian.”
As for his decision to branch out with different acts, Barbaud added: “I created this festival for the love of punk, hardcore and at the beginning for the purists. But today, I prefer to shock them than to always do the same artists.
“We could have invited Iron Maiden and Slipknot back, who were already there two years ago…”
Hellfest founder Ben Barbaud gave an interview to LaParisien about his festival and claims Foo Fighters have cancelled a planned Summer 2025 tour. pic.twitter.com/Rk9f6nsilK
— Foo Fighters Archive (@FooArchive) December 10, 2024
As Barbaud mentioned, Muse are indeed booked to top the bill at other European festivals next summer. They’ll take to the stage at Finland’s Rockfest, the Netherlands’ Pinkpop and Norway’s Tons of Rock in June.
Foo Fighters headlined this year’s Hellfest alongside Metallica, Avenged Sevenfold and Machine Head, following their 2024 UK stadium tour. They concluded their US ‘Everything Or Nothing At All’ leg this August, in support of their 2023 album ‘But Here We Are’.
This September, Foos frontman Dave Grohl revealed that he had “recently become the father of a new baby daughter, born outside of my marriage”. He added: “I love my wife and my children, and I am doing everything I can to regain their trust and earn their forgiveness.”
The band subsequently cancelled their scheduled headline slot at the Soundside Music Festival. Foo Fighters currently do not have any live dates in their calendar.
Following the revelation about Grohl’s new daughter, the musician’s representatives debunked a viral “love child” post circulating on social media – in which an Instagram user claimed to be the mother of the baby.
Hellfest 2025 is due to take place in Clisson, France between June 19-22. Other confirmed acts include Sex Pistols featuring Frank Carter, Spiritbox, Exodus, Judas Priest, Turnstile, Dream Theater, Refused, Cypress Hill, Falling in Reverse, Knocked Loose and Eagles Of Death Metal.