The fight is on: How fans plan to bring the Foo Fighters to Townsville
Townsville superfans have launched a Facebook campaign to bring Foo Fighters to North Queensland after the success of Jelly Roll’s stadium show.
The announcement that rock icons the Foo Fighters are returning to Australian shores for an exclusive show in Tasmania has ignited a spark 3,000 kilometres away, with a local superfans launching a bid to lure the band to North Queensland.
Townsville resident Michael Chamberlain believes it could be the catalyst for a broader tour that includes the North, with a Facebook page called “Bring Foo Fighters to Townsville” gaining over 240 members in just a short time.
Mr Chamberlain is one of several administrators of the new Facebook group dedicated to bringing the band to Townsville, after the momentum of previous stadium shows.
“I saw the success of bringing P!nk to Townsville, and then Jelly Roll following, and just the support that the town has given them,” Mr Chamberlain said.
“I thought Foo Fighters would most likely answer to something like this.”
The goal of the group is to demonstrate undeniable local demand to promoters.
“If we get enough followers, we might be able to push that forward to some of the promoters and say, ‘Hey, look, we’ve got a massive amount of interest,’” he said.
“I think the power of people is overlooked. People don’t realise how strong people’s voices are. Group together and you can achieve things.”
Mr Chamberlain, who has seen the band perform three times across Melbourne and Brisbane, said that Townsville was often unfairly bypassed despite its capacity to host major events.
“It’s the second biggest city in the state, but why aren’t we getting bands? I know a lot of people I talk to feel forgotten,” he said.
“I know it’s a long way for them to travel, but we can fill a stadium. It’s important to the town and the people.”
While the Launceston show is currently billed as a stand-alone event — marking the band’s first time in Tasmania since 2015 — and Chamberlain predicts a national rollout may follow.
“I think they’ll start in Tasmania and do that one-off show, and then there’ll be a national tour announcement,” he said.
“This is what we’re hoping: to get enough people to join this page, get the radio stations on board … and then let’s do Brisbane, Melbourne, and Townsville.”
Mr Chamberlain believes frontman Dave Grohl’s legendary showmanship is a perfect fit for a regional audience.
“It’s probably the only band I’ve seen where the frontman, Dave Grohl, makes 50,000 people in the audience feel like he’s talking to them,” Mr Chamberlain said. “
“They are just a good, humble band.”
He also said the lifestyle in Townsville was appealing for touring artists and said that previous acts enjoyed the region’s relaxed atmosphere.
“All the bands talk. They say, ‘Hey, we went to this place called Townsville … we stayed at a great hotel, went to Magnetic Island, nice beaches.,’” he said.
Mr Chamberlain said he wanted to keep the campaign growing, after the initial interest in the push to bring the rockers to Townsville.
“It puts Townsville on the map,” he said.
“We want to show that these people want to look up to you just as much as you want to look out and see this massive, big crowd.”
Originally published as The fight is on: How fans plan to bring the Foo Fighters to Townsville
