There has been a surprising twist in the controversy between Taylor Swift and Dave Grohl, with Foo Fighters guitarist Pat Smear spotted at one of Swift’s concerts in London.
Both Swift and the Foo Fighters performed in London this weekend, with Swift singing in a trio of sold-out shows at Wembley Stadium and the Foo Fighters at London Stadium.
After the Foo Fighters’ show on Saturday – where Grohl insinuated that Swift doesn’t sing live – 64-year-old Smear (born Georg Albert Ruthenberg) was spotted at Swift’s Sunday show.
Smear was spotted in actress Salma Hayek’s Instagram story during the concert, along with fashion designer Stella McCartney.
Although the guitarist does not have a verified social media account, Hayek tagged the Foo Fighters Instagram in the post.
There has been a surprising twist in the Taylor Swift and Dave Grohl controversy, with Foo Fighters guitarist Pat Smear spotted at one of Swift’s concerts in London
After the Foo Fighters’ show on Saturday — where Grohl insinuated that Swift doesn’t sing live — Smear, 64 (born Georg Albert Ruthenberg), was spotted at Swift’s Sunday show
Both Swift and the Foo Fighters performed in London this weekend, with Swift singing in a trio of sold-out shows at Wembley Stadium and the Foo Fighters playing the London Stadium.
Although neither Swift nor Grohl have spoken publicly about the comments, Swift apparently acknowledged it on Sunday.
The controversy began on Saturday when Grohl told the crowd at the London Stadium: ‘We were joking earlier about the Taylor Swift tour. I know she’s on her Eras Tour.’
The crowd erupted at the mere mention of Swift, with Grohl adding, “I’m telling you man, you don’t want ssuffer the wrath of Taylor Swift.”
‘We like to call our tour the Mistakes Tour. We’ve had more than a few eras, and more than a few damn mistakes. Just a few. That’s because we actually play live. What?’ Grohl said.
‘Just say it. You guys like raw live rock ‘n’ roll music, right? You’ve come to the right place!’ Grohl said before continuing with the band’s set.
During Swift’s performance on Sunday, she seemingly addressed Grohl’s comments as she introduced her band before the three-and-a-half-hour set.
“What you just did is an unforgettable moment, not just for my life, but for the lives of our entire team. The band that’s going to play live for you for three and a half hours tonight,” Swift said, without naming Grohl specifically.
“They deserve this so much, and so do all my fellow artists, and you just gave that to us so generously. We will never forget it,” she added.
While neither Swift nor Grohl have spoken publicly about the comments, Swift seemingly acknowledged it on Sunday
The controversy began on Saturday when Grohl told the crowd at the London Stadium: ‘We were joking earlier about the Taylor Swift tour. I know she’s on her Eras Tour’
The crowd erupted at the mere mention of Swift, with Grohl adding, “I’m telling you man, you don’t want to suffer the wrath of Taylor Swift.”
Many were surprised by Grohl’s comments, as he and Swift seemed to be on good terms in the past.
Grohl was performing at the Cannes Lion Festival in 2016 when he told a story about how Taylor Swift saved him from embarrassment in front of Paul McCartney.
Grohl said he was high at the meeting where McCartney was next to Swift, and after McCartney finished playing a song, everyone turned to Grohl to play.
“It was kind of like one of those nightmares where you’re running backwards and you’re always late for wherever you need to go,” Grohl said.
‘All of a sudden Taylor Swift stands up and says, “I’ll play a song,” and then I’m like, “Ugh, thank God Taylor Swift is here.” Like Batman when you need him.”
Both Swift and Grohl then performed the Foo Fighters song Best of You, as Grohl added, “As if I wasn’t high enough, that f–ing blew me into space.”
Grohl also praised Swift back in a 2021 Rolling Stone piece for re-recording her original albums after being denied the opportunity to reclaim her master recordings.
“Like, f**k yeah, girl. Hell hath no fury. Now I’m afraid of her! I would be so nerdy and into it. I love it so much,” Grohl said at the time.
Many were surprised by Grohl’s comments (seen in London on Thursday with Pat Smear to his right) as he and Swift appeared to be on good terms in the past
‘All of a sudden Taylor Swift stands up and says, “I’ll play a song,” and I say, “Ugh, thank God Taylor Swift is here.” Like Batman when you need him’
It remains to be seen whether Grohl will clarify or apologize for his comments, or whether Swift will elaborate on his comments.
Swift fans – called Swifties – were quite unhappy with Grohl after the comments in London.
Some fans suggested that Grohl’s attack was partly fueled by the abuse his daughter faced from Swifties, Taylor Swift’s fans.
Violet Grohl criticized Swift for flying in a private jet between concert stops.