Martin Garrix and DJ Snake replace Foo Fighters at Abu Dhabi F1 after-race concert

The rockers pulled out at the last minute owing to 'unforeseen medical circumstances'

Dutch DJ Martin Garrix will perform at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after-race concert on Sunday. AFP

EDM star Martin Garrix and DJ Snake will replace Foo Fighters in the final after-race concert at the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2021 on Sunday.

Foo Fighters' much-anticipated show on the closing night of the motor racing event was cancelled on Saturday "due to unforeseen medical circumstances", organiser Flash Entertainment announced in a post on Instagram.

Garrix has been a regular performer in Dubai for the past few years and is particularly known for his thundering New Year’s Eve concerts.

He is also set to perform at Dubai's Coca-Cola Arena this Thursday in a show open to vaccinated guests and participants.

The Dutch DJ is no stranger to the UAE, nor the Abu Dhabi Formula One event. He performed an exclusive set in 2017 as part of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Beyond The Track concert series at du Forum and, in 2018, he was a headliner at the Bao Festival in Meydan alongside Afrojack. He also headlined RedfestDXB in 2020.

Garrix has had a busy year, releasing a string of singles that have each raked in a few million views on social media, songs that he is likely to perform in next month’s show.

These include the track Diamonds, which he released in collaboration with British rapper Tinie Tempah and Dutch DJ Julian Jordan, and Pressure, which features Swedish singer-songwriter Tove Lo.

In May, he debuted a new track called We Are The People, featuring Bono and the Edge from U2, which served as the official song for UEFA Euro 2020. DJ Mag named Garrix the No 2 DJ in the world in its annual Top 100 ranking for 2021. He topped the list for three consecutive years from 2016 to 2018.

Since hitting the music scene in 2012, he's most well-known for his hits Animals, In the Name of Love and Scared to Be Lonely, which was a collaboration with Dua Lipa.

French record producer DJ Snake will also perform on Sunday as part of the final concert on race day.