Foo Fighters to play first virtual reality concert after Super Bowl LVI

The gig will take place at the end of the American football championship game

Foo Fighters will perform a virtual concert at the end of the Super Bowl. Reuters
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US rock band Foo Fighters will perform a virtual reality concert after this year's Super Bowl.

The rock group said the streaming event would allow viewers to watch them "from the front row".

The show will start at 11pm EST next Sunday (8am on Monday in the UAE), or after the Super Bowl LVI, in which the Los Angeles Rams will take on the Cincinnati Bengals at SoFi Stadium in California.

The gig will be available to watch on Horizon Venues, a VR app available on the Meta Quest headsets, as well as Facebook Live.

The 180º VR concert will feature Foo Fighters playing a song that has never been performed live before, as well as a set of rarely played tracks.

The show is being directed by Mark Romanek, who helmed the 2010 film Never Let Me Go, as well as Beyonce's Sandcastles and Taylor Swift’s Shake It Off music videos, among others.

Though listeners can watch the concert on Foo Fighters’ and Meta’s social media pages, users who access the concert directly from their Meta Quest headsets will be able to create special avatars, where they can customise their outfits, interact with other fans and play games in the virtual concert lobby.

“Foo Fighters love a challenge – from playing the biggest stages in the world to the tiniest clubs to making movies and miniseries. We’ve pretty much done it all,” Foo Fighters founder and frontman Dave Grohl said.

"But we’ve never collaborated with Mark Romanek on a conceptual set of songs – including one being played live for the first time ever – for a worldwide audience, where everyone has the best seats in the house thanks to the most badass VR tech… until now. Join us when we cross that one off the FF bucket list!”

Meta Quest, formerly known as Oculus Quest, is run by Facebook. A post on the Meta Quest website said: "When the game is over, the real show begins. Watch Foo Fighters take the VR stage and perform like never before in an up close and personal concert.

"Consider this your free, front-row ticket to rock out with the legendary Rock and Roll Hall of Famers and other fans."

Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J Blige and Kendrick Lamar are also set to perform during the game's half-time show.

Updated: February 08, 2022, 9:45 AM