Foo Fighters will be free to swear, smoke and drink on stage in Indonesia, promoter says

The US band is also allowed to curse, as long as it does not touch on sensitive topics in the Muslim-majority country

US band Foo Fighters’ long-awaited return to Indonesia will come with some unusual sights and sounds – with local organisers set to accept the band’s requests to swear, smoke and drink alcohol on stage during the coming Jakarta gig.

The October 2 show at Carnaval Ancol will mark the rock group’s first performance in Indonesia after nearly three decades. The band last played there in 1996.

“They’ve asked for the freedom to curse on stage, as well as permission to smoke and drink during the show,” Ravel Junardy, chief executive of local promoter Ravel Entertainment, told the Jakarta Globe newspaper on Thursday.

“As long as it does not touch on sensitive topics like race, religion or Indonesian cultural values, we’ll allow it.”

While alcohol is not prohibited in Indonesia, as the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, the country imposes heavy regulations on liquor. Alcohol sales have been banned in mini-markets since April 2015, except in tourist areas like Bali.

In addition to their onstage requests, the band is flying in their own private chef to handle backstage catering. However, Junardy said that the local organisers were planning to introduce the group to Indonesian cuisine as part of the hospitality experience.

The 15-time Grammy-winners look to be gearing up for an ambitious production. The band will bring in 12 containers of stage and production gear, and have requested for a special kind of stage lighting unavailable in Indonesia.

The Jakarta show came as a surprise, especially since the band cancelled their European tour dates, Junardy said.

“They scrapped everything in Europe, then turned around and chose Jakarta. It’s a kind of miracle,” he said. “We’re going all out, production, hospitality, everything.”

Tickets for the Jakarta show go on sale on May 26.

Jakarta is the first of four Asian cities Foo Fighters is set to play in this October. After the Indonesian concert, the band will fly to Singapore to headline the second day of the Formula One Grand Prix on October 4.

Then it will head to Japan, where it is slated to perform at Tokyo’s Saitama Super Arena on October 7, and the Glion Arena Kobe in Osaka on October 10.