A One-Night Support Slot That Feels Like Rock History
The Foo Fighters AC/DC support slot in St. Louis is a one-night stadium concert where a grunge-era giant temporarily becomes the classic rock support act for its own heroes, turning a routine tour change into a symbolic rock band collaboration that celebrates intergenerational influence, shared stages, and the emotional weight of legacy bands welcoming their successors. Foo Fighters have been announced as the opening act for AC/DC’s Power Up tour stop at The Dome at America’s Center on September 8 in St. Louis, after The Pretty Reckless were unable to play that date. What might have been a simple logistical swap has landed as a cultural event: two generations of rock’s biggest live acts converging for one night only, with tickets that suddenly look underpriced for the story fans now get to be part of.
Dave Grohl’s Worship of AC/DC and the Power of Influence
The emotional core of this collaboration is Dave Grohl’s open devotion to AC/DC and the way he frames the night as payback for a childhood shock to the system. He has said watching the band’s 1980 concert film Let There Be Rock at age 11 “truly introduced me to the raw, primal power of rock and roll performance for the first time,” leaving him “watching from the edge of my seat the entire time.” That experience set his personal bar for drummers and frontmen: you hit hard enough to destroy the snare, and you leave the stage drenched in sweat or you haven’t given the audience what they deserve. When he calls the chance to open for AC/DC “a dream come true” and signs off with “Let there be fucking rock, St Louis,” he is not chasing status; he is honoring the band that defined his entire philosophy of live performance.
Grunge-Era Cred Meets Classic Rock Royalty
The cultural weight of Foo Fighters opening for AC/DC has less to do with volume and more to do with hierarchy. Foo Fighters are a headline-sized rock institution with their own global stadium tour built around the album Your Favorite Toy, joined on the road by Queens of the Stone Age as their support act. In St. Louis, that hierarchy flips: Grohl’s band becomes the classic rock support act to AC/DC, gladly playing second to the group he credits with changing his life. For fans, this is a rare convergence of grunge-era credibility with classic rock royalty, a night where one of the most reliable modern rock bands publicly kneels at the altar of its elders. It says something about how legacy acts are treated now: Foo Fighters are not challenging AC/DC’s throne; they are reinforcing it and, in doing so, reaffirming their own identity as disciples rather than usurpers.
The Scarcity Factor: Why One Night Matters More Than a Tour
Part of the reason this show feels mythic is precisely because it is not a tour. The announcement makes clear that Foo Fighters will “take a special one-off detour” from their Take Cover global stadium run to fill in as AC/DC’s guests “for one night only” in St. Louis. The Pretty Reckless, who have been supporting AC/DC across the Power Up dates, step aside only for this Missouri stop, making the lineup change a singular moment rather than a new pattern. Foo Fighters’ own schedule underscores the exception: after the September 8 show, they resume headline dates across North Dakota, California, Kentucky, Nevada and more, before heading to an Australian leg later in the year. AC/DC, meanwhile, carry on with Atlanta on August 27 and further dates in Texas, Indiana, New Jersey and beyond with their usual support. Scarcity turns what could have been a forgettable routing detail into a story fans will cite for decades.
What This Says About Rock’s Past, Present, and Future
Viewed in isolation, one band helping another cover an unexpected gap in the touring schedule is unremarkable. But Foo Fighters supporting AC/DC in St. Louis is a signal about how rock’s older guard and its adopted heirs see their relationship. AC/DC remain the benchmark stadium act, continuing their Power Up tour with minimal fanfare beyond the shows themselves. Foo Fighters, fresh from European stadiums and still selling their own North American run, step down in billing without any loss of dignity. Grohl’s choice to embrace the opening slot after announcing the collaboration on Instagram on August 19 shows a model of legacy that is based on gratitude, not defensiveness. In a genre obsessed with authenticity, that openness matters. The message to fans is clear: rock’s canon is not static; it is a living conversation where the current giants win respect by publicly acknowledging who lit their fuse.
