The Foo Fighters kicked off their first full-capacity concert since the start of COVID-19, and they were met with anti-vaxxers screaming “discrimination”
As vaccination rates (thankfully) continue to climb among adults in the U.S., large gatherings and live events are slowly becoming a reality. The Foo Fighters just kicked off a summer tour with their first full-capacity concert since the start of the pandemic, playing to a crowd of around 600 fully vaccinated fans at the Canyon Club in Agoura Hills, California, last night. The band required proof of vaccination to secure a spot at the show in an effort to encourage fans to get their shots and finally bring a true end to the pandemic as we know it.
Loudwire reports that tickets were just $26 to fans 21 and older, who were required to provide proof of being at least 14 days out from their second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine or at least 14 days after the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine to snag a ticket. But ahead of the sold-out show, the group drew a crowd of protesters outside the venue, who were picketing and chanting about the vaccination requirement — calling it “discrimination” and “segregation.” Yes, really.
Photo and video footage from the protest shows a crowd of completely unmasked, unvaccinated protesters crowing about the vaccination requirement, as if vaccines haven’t been required in schools and for certain kinds of travel for decades upon decades. Logic aside, the claims ranged from nonsensical to downright offensive, with people on social media likening it to “discrimination,” “segregation,” and even calling it “2021’s ‘whites only.'”
Of course, blowhards like Ricky Schroder showed up and had something to say on his social media, blasting both the group (including lead singer Dave Grohl) and the venue for “discriminating against Americans who choose Freedom (NO-Experimental Vax) over Medical Slavery (Sheep).”
For what it’s worth, the concert looked like an absolute blast, with fans reveling in the ability to be joined together after far too long, without masks and the fear of catching a deadly virus.
If you’re interested in catching the Foo Fighters on tour this summer, peep their list of upcoming tour dates — all of which require proof of vaccination for entry. The band’s next big gig will be at New York City’s legendary Madison Square Garden on Sunday, June 20. “We’ve been waiting for this day for over a year,” Grohl said in a statement, per Variety. “And Madison Square Garden is going to feel that hard. New York, get ready for a long ass night of screaming our heads off together to 26 years of Foos.”
