Foo Fighters Honor Injured Pat Smear at L.A. Gig

Wednesday may have been Dave Grohl’s birthday, but the Foo Fighters kicked off their concert at Inglewood, California’s Kia Forum by celebrating guitarist Pat Smear, who was recently sidelined after what the group called a “bizarre gardening accident.”

As seen in a Foo Fighters Instagram reel, the evening began with a Voice of God (or maybe a Voice of Grohl?) informing the thousands gathered that they’d be watching a message from Smear. In the clip, the guitarist, who apparently rang in 2026 by “smashing the shit out of his left foot,” beams, “Happy birthday, Dave, sorry I could not be there,” before introducing the band. He looked happy in the clip, seated on a leather couch and petting a dog. Then the band came out. “We’re gonna start this off right,” Grohl told the crowd. “We’re gonna sing one for Pat Smear.” And of course they kicked into “My Hero.” “He’s my hero,” Grohl exclaimed.

The band announced that Smear would be sitting out the tour on Jan. 7 with a social media post of a fake tabloid that bore the headline, “Pat Smear Bizarre Gardening Accident!” That mode of injury, of course, was a nod to This Is Spinal Tap and the film’s director (and co-writer and costar) Rob Reiner, who’d died a week earlier.

The group did not explain exactly how Smear injured his foot, but instead wished him well. “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,” the wrote. Jason Falkner, who has played guitar with Beck and St. Vincent, is filling in for Smear on the tour.