In the end, a rock stage in Sydney became a quiet place of remembrance, as the music of one of the world's loudest bands paused for a man who had once been pulled from a Tasmanian mine. Todd Russell, who spent fourteen days trapped a kilometre underground in 2006, died at 54 after an illness, only a week after deciding to return home to spend his remaining days there. The two decades since that collapse have turned his survival into a reference point for mine safety and for the ordinary bonds that can form across the distance between a fan and a hero. Grohl's tribute, offered in the middle of
Foo Fighters pause Sydney concert to honour Beaconsfield miner Todd Russell, who died aged 54
Beaconsfield survivor Todd Russell died aged 54 from an illness, one week after announcing a move home to see out his days; co-worker Larry Knight died in the 2006 collapse.
I've met a few heroes in my life but that was a big one
Mark
Why did a rock concert stop for this?
Mimi
Because the link was real. Todd Russell asked for Foo Fighters music while he was trapped underground, and Grohl answered him while the rescue was still going.
Mark
What was the promise?
Mimi
Two tickets and two beers for any show once the miners were out. Grohl met them backstage at the Sydney Opera House later in 2006 and kept his word.
Luke
Let me separate what's confirmed. The death at 54 and the tribute are reported. What do we know about the illness?
Mimi
Only that Russell announced a move home to see out his days, a week before he died. The illness isn't named.
Luke
And the story of the beers and the song comes from Grohl himself, on stage.
Mimi
Yes, the backstage account is his telling. The song's existence and the 2006 meeting are part of the reporting, but the details of that night are his memory.
Mark
What was the mood in the stadium?
Mimi
The band left Grohl standing alone while Russell's picture came up. It was a solemn break in a loud night.
Luke
We don't know how the crowd reacted, or what Russell's family has said. The reporting doesn't tell us.
Mark
What's the larger point?
Mimi
Twenty years on from the collapse, one of the two survivors is gone, and Larry Knight, who died in 2006, is part of the same story.
Il Polso
- A raucous Foo Fighters show at Accor Stadium stopped cold when Dave Grohl was left alone on stage beside a photo of Todd Russell.
- The news of Russell's death arrived the same day, leaving the crowd and the band to absorb grief in the middle of a celebration.
- Grohl told the story of a 2006 promise: two tickets and two beers for the trapped miners, and a song written the night before they met.
- The tribute lands on the 20th anniversary of the Beaconsfield rescue, with Russell's final wish to see out his days at home now unfulfilled.
In the end, a rock stage in Sydney became a quiet place of remembrance, as the music of one of the world's loudest bands paused for a man who had once been pulled from a Tasmanian mine. Todd Russell, who spent fourteen days trapped a kilometre underground in 2006, died at 54 after an illness, only a week after deciding to return home to spend his remaining days there. The two decades since that collapse have turned his survival into a reference point for mine safety and for the ordinary bonds that can form across the distance between a fan and a hero. Grohl's tribute, offered in the middle of a show, reminds us how a promise kept can outlast the danger that first gave it meaning.
On Tuesday night at Accor Stadium in Sydney, a Foo Fighters show that had been roaring along suddenly went quiet. The other band members stepped away, and Dave Grohl stood alone under the lights while a photograph of Todd Russell glowed on the screen behind him. Russell, a survivor of the Beaconsfield mine collapse, had died at 54, and the news had reached the band that same day.
The bond between the band and the Tasmanian miners began in 2006, when the mine collapsed on Anzac Day. Russell and his co-worker Brant Webb were trapped a kilometre underground, and though they were first presumed dead, they had survived in a vehicle below. Their fourteen-day rescue held the world's attention. While the drills worked above them, rescuers asked what the men needed, and Russell asked for an iPod loaded with Foo Fighters music to keep his spirits up.
Grohl heard, and sent word that two tickets and two beers would be waiting for them at any show once they were free. He kept that promise. He met the pair backstage in Sydney, and the night before, he had written them a song, Ballad of the Beaconsfield Miners. On Tuesday he told the stadium how they had drunk those beers together, and how he had promised, somewhat recklessly, to put the song on a record, which he later did. He called Russell one of the heroes of his life and said he was playing the song for him.
On Tuesday night at Accor Stadium in Sydney, a raucous Foo Fighters show came to a halt. The band's members stepped away and left Dave Grohl alone on stage while a photograph of Todd Russell appeared on the screen behind him. Russell, the Beaconsfield mine collapse survivor, had died at 54, and news of his death had come out the same day.
The band is on its 16th Australian tour in a 32-year history. Grohl used the pause for a lengthy tribute, telling the crowd that his band had a funny relationship with the Beaconsfield miners.
The connection began in 2006, when the Tasmanian mine collapsed on Anzac Day. Russell was trapped a kilometre below ground with his co-worker Brant Webb. A third miner, Larry Knight, was killed in the collapse. Russell and Webb were first presumed dead too, but they were alive, held inside a vehicle underground, and their 14-day rescue became global news.
While loud drilling went on above and around them, the rescuers asked the pair what supplies they needed. Russell asked for an iPod loaded with Foo Fighters music, to keep his spirits up.
Grohl heard about it and sent a message to the men while they were still trapped. He said he had two tickets and two beers waiting for them at any Foo Fighters show once they got out of the mine.
He kept the promise. Later in 2006, Grohl met the pair backstage at the band's Sydney Opera House show. The night before, he had written them a song, Ballad of the Beaconsfield Miners.
On Tuesday he recalled that evening for the stadium crowd. Afterwards, he said, they all went to the bar and had the beers he had promised, and he got so drunk that he promised to put the song on the band's next record. He did. He said he was glad of it, because he had met a few heroes in his life and Russell was a big one, and that he was playing this one for him.
Russell's death came one week after he announced he was moving home to "see out his days" following an illness. This year marks 20 years since the collapse, which drew worldwide attention to the Tasmanian town and the men trapped beneath it.
Citazioni salienti
I've met a few heroes in my life but that was a big one, so I'm doing this one tonight for Todd Russell.— Dave Grohl, Foo Fighters frontman, at Accor Stadium
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