Foo Fighters launched their live calendar for 2026 on 10 January with a landmark performance in León, Mexico, marking both their first show of the year and their first appearance in the city. The concert at Velaria de la Feria carried added significance, introducing guitarist Jason Falkner into the Foo Fighters live lineup as he temporarily replaces longtime member Pat Smear, who is recovering from a broken foot.
The León show signalled the beginning of the band’s next touring chapter following an emotionally heavy and critically lauded recent period. Foo Fighters have long treated the opening show of any new year as a statement of intent, and the Mexico performance reaffirmed their commitment to a set that spans the full breadth of their catalogue rather than focusing on any single era.
Opening with “All My Life” and “Times Like These” from One By One, the band immediately leaned into material that has defined their 21st century stadium reputation. From there, the set moved fluidly across decades, drawing heavily from 1997’s The Colour and the Shape, an album that remains the emotional and musical backbone of Foo Fighters’ live identity.
“My Hero” was one of the most poignant moments of the night, dedicated to Smear, whose absence was keenly felt but respectfully acknowledged. Smear has been part of the Foo Fighters story since the mid 1990s, initially returning to the public eye with Dave Grohl after the end of Nirvana. His rhythm guitar work and stage presence have been central to the band’s live sound for decades, making his temporary sidelining notable for fans and band alike.
Stepping into that role is Jason Falkner, a musician with deep alternative rock credentials and long-standing personal history with Grohl. Falkner’s résumé includes work with Beck, St. Vincent and a broad range of studio and touring projects, making him a natural fit for the demands of a Foo Fighters set that balances precision with raw power. His debut with the band in León was treated less as a novelty and more as a continuation of the Foo Fighters’ long tradition of musical camaraderie.
The León setlist highlighted the band’s willingness to dig deeper than a conventional greatest hits run. “Hey, Johnny Park!” from The Colour and the Shape made a rare appearance, one of only a handful of performances of the song in recent years. The inclusion of “Exhausted”, from the 1995 self-titled debut, was especially significant.
Once a cornerstone of early Foo Fighters shows, the track had been largely absent from setlists for over a decade before resurfacing more frequently in 2025, and its placement in the encore underlined the band’s renewed connection to their origins.
Elsewhere, the set moved confidently between high-impact singles and deeper album cuts. Songs from Wasting Light, Concrete and Gold, In Your Honor and Medicine at Midnight were all represented, reinforcing the sense that Foo Fighters continue to view their live shows as a complete narrative rather than a nostalgia exercise. Notably, no material from 2023’s But Here We Are appeared in the set, an omission that suggests the band is still shaping how that deeply personal album will sit within future tours.
The performance also carried a celebratory undercurrent, with the audience acknowledging Grohl’s upcoming birthday during the set. Moments like these have long defined Foo Fighters shows, blending scale with intimacy in a way few contemporary rock bands consistently achieve.
With upcoming dates scheduled while Smear continues his recovery, Falkner is set to remain with the band in the short term, including the highly anticipated Australian appearance later this month. For Australian fans, the 2026 return is especially notable, marking the band’s first Tasmanian show in over a decade and their first ever performance in Launceston.
Complete Setlist, León, Mexico, 10 January 2026
All My Life (from One By One, 2002)
Times Like These (from One By One, 2002)
The Pretender (from Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, 2007)
La Dee Da (from Concrete and Gold, 2007)
These Days (from Wasting Light, 2012)
My Hero (from The Colour and the Shape, 1997)
Learn to Fly (from There Is Nothing Left To Lose, 1999)
Run (from Concrete and Gold, 2007)
This Is a Call (from Foo Fighters, 1995)
No Son of Mine (from Medicine at Midnight, 2021)
Aurora (from There Is Nothing Left To Lose, 1999)
White Limo (from Wasting Light, 2012)
Arlandria (from Wasting Light, 2012)
Monkey Wrench (from Wasting Light, 2012)
Hey, Johnny Park! (from The Colour and the Shape, 1997)
Best of You (from In Your Honor, 2005)
Encore:
Exhausted (from Foo Fighters, 1995)
Everlong (from Wasting Light, 2012)
Australian Date And Ticketing
Frontier Touring presents Foo Fighters, returning to Australia for one show only this summer.
Saturday 24 January 2026
UTAS Stadium, Launceston, Tasmania
Joined by Full Flower Moon Band and Spooky Eyes
Waitlist via Frontier Touring.
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