Raging With The Machine

It was once America's outlet for political and cultural rebellion, but now rock and roll has taken a disturbing new direction, endorsing censorship, Covid mandates, and, worst of all, predictability.

Foo Fighters to reopen Madison Square Garden, but only vaccinated can attend concert – fans are furious: 'I'll never buy another ticket'



The Foo Fighters are performing at Madison Square Garden on June 20, which will be the first 100% capacity concert in a New York arena since March 2020. However, only music enthusiasts who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 will be admitted into the concert. This has some Foo Fighters fans furious, some vowing never to buy another ticket to one of the band's concerts.

In order to attend the Foo Fighters concert at MSG, guests will need to be fully vaccinated, which means that at least 14 days before June 20, concertgoers must have had the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNtech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine or the single dose of Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine. The only exception is that children under the age of 16 may provide proof of a negative antigen COVID-19 test instead of the coronavirus vaccine. The minor's antigen COVID-19 test must be taken within six hours of the event start time, or the PCR COVID-19 test must be taken within 72 hours of the day of the event.

"Guests will have to provide proof of full vaccination along with an appropriate ID matching the name on your documentation," a statement from Madison Square Garden states. "Your documentation needs to be directly from the healthcare provider that performed the vaccination and you can display proof on your smartphone, present a physical copy or through the New York State Excelsior Pass."

The Excelsior Pass, which was developed by IBM, allows New Yorkers to show an electronic passport on their phone in the form of a unique QR code that is scanned by businesses to confirm COVID-19 vaccinations or recent negative COVID tests before they will be permitted to enter theaters, stadiums, or other businesses.

"The Garden is ready to rock," James Dolan, executive chairman and CEO of MSG Entertainment, said in a statement of the iconic NYC arena that has a capacity of 20,789. "We've been waiting for this moment for 15 months and are excited to finally welcome a packed house of roaring, fully-vaccinated Foo Fighters fans to Madison Square Garden."

The stipulation that all attendees be vaccinated to go to the concert is an order from New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The Democratic governor issued an order that gatherings or events without social distancing that exceed 250 people indoors or 500 outdoors must require proof of vaccination.

However, many Foo Fighters fans who don't want to get the coronavirus vaccine feel slighted that they will be shut out of the concert. Fans lashed out at the band for playing a gig that would "discriminate" against those who were not vaccinated.

Reactions from Foo Fighters fans and internet commentators to the vaccinated-only concert:

  • "Imagine being a fan of the @foofighters but you're allergic to the vaccine or unable to get it due to a medical condition."
  • "I'll never buy another ticket to a @foofighters concert. Not all people that choose to NOT vaccinate are conspiracy theorists. Some people, very close to me, have autoimmune conditions that make the vaccine a high risk proposition."
  • "Ridiculous that people have to be vaccinated to go to MSG! Everyone's situation if different and being vaccinated is up to the individual. Total discrimination! Big thumbs down to MSG!"
  • "Foo Fighters, a band I've long admired, just held a concert for the jabbed only. That's every album & play list with them on, consigned to the bin."
  • "No Jab, no gig! The Foo Fighters play Madison Square Gardens but only for the vaccinated. Discriminating against all those who can't have a jab as well as those who choose not to, inc pregnant women, immune suppressed and children. Papers please!"
  • "Beyond disappointed to hear the Foo Fighters are leading the way in health discrimination."
  • "Never thought the Foo Fighters would support suppression, segregation, and discrimination. It's strange times."
  • "Foo Fighters are playing at Madison Square Garden, but only for the vaccinated! Rock artists used to question things and stick it to the establishment, but not anymore; and some even accept and promote discrimination."
  • "The Foo Fighters will play to a fully packed Madison Square Garden on June 20. Later that week, Tottenville High School will have to hold six separate graduation ceremonies because they're limited to no more than 500 people on their outdoor football field."

Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl commented on the reopening of Madison Square Garden, "We've been waiting for this day for over a year. 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."

In April, Grohl teamed up with fellow rocker Mick Jagger for a collaboration song titled "Easy Sleazy," which hits on the banality of life during the coronavirus pandemic and mocks anti-vaxxer conspiracy theories.

"Shooting the vaccine, Bill Gates is in my bloodstream. It's mind control," the rock stars sing. "The Earth is flat and cold, it's never warming up. The Arctic's tundra turned to slush, the second coming's late, there's aliens in the Deep State."

Rocker Dave Grohl posts 'huge, heartfelt thank you' for $10 billion for music venues included in COVID relief bill President Trump signed Sunday



President Donald Trump signed a long-awaited $900 billion COVID relief bill Sunday night.

The news gained praise from millions of Americans who have lost income and business owners looking for a way to stay afloat due to government-imposed coronavirus restrictions.

One of the biggest names to offer a massive "thank you" for the bill was Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, who celebrated a $10 billion provision created to help concert venues that have had to shutter as officials have banned large crowds.

What was in the bill?

The relief legislation, which was combined with an omnibus appropriations bill to fund the government for the rest of the fiscal year, includes $600 payments for individuals and $300 per week "enhanced" unemployment payments for up to 11 weeks. It also provides $284 billion for Paycheck Protection Program loans, $25 billion in rental assistance, $13 billion increased SNAP and child nutrition benefits, and tens of billions of dollars for other priorities, Axios reported.

One of those priorities was the Save Our Stages Act, which, as Rolling Stone noted, sought $10 billion for independent concerts venues. The passage of the act, which was rolled into the COVID stimulus package (with an additional $5 billion for museums and movie theaters), received plaudits from Grohl for its immediate impact on local businesses that host concerts as well as its long-term impact on the music industry.

"A huge, heartfelt thank you to everyone who supported the Save Our Stages Act," Grohl said in a statement the Foo Fighters posted Monday afternoon.

"The preservation of America's smaller, independent venues is not only crucial to the millions of concert goers whose lives are bettered by experiencing their favorite artists in the flesh, but to the future of music itself, as it gives the next generation of young musicians a place to cut their teeth, hone their craft and grow into the voices of tomorrow," he continued.

"The absence of live music this year has left us all longing for that communal feeling of connection, one that is best felt when joined in a song," Grohl added. “The Save Our Stages Act brings us one step closer to sharing that feeling again, one that I hope we can all experience again very soon. Every day we're one step closer. See you there."

Thank You. #SaveOurStages @nivassoc https://t.co/kD95iUmanw
— Foo Fighters (@Foo Fighters)1609191959.0

Funds from the Save Our Stages Act can be spent on rent, utilities, mortgages, PPE and other costs, Rolling Stone said.