Foo Fighters to headline #SOSFest to support U.S. independent venues

Foo Fighters and Miley Cyrus are among the major acts who will headline #SOSFest, a new virtual event organised by America’s National Independent Venue Association.

Taking place from October 16-18, the three-day online festival will feature 35 original performances recorded live from 25 independent concert venues across the United States.

Fans can also expect performances from Phoebe Bridgers, Demi Lovato, The Roots, Brittany Howard, Rise Against, Portugal. the Man, FINNEAS, Nathaniel Rateliff and The Lumineers. The event will be hosted by Reggie Watts.

The livestream will also see viewers being encouraged to donate to the NIVA Emergency Relief Fund – which represents some 2,800 venues from all over the US.

Earlier this week, the NIVA urged the White House and US Congress to come to an understanding and act in order to prevent a “mass collapse” of the live music industry.

We've teamed up with @nivassoc to help #SaveOurStages. #SOSFest coming Oct 16-18th, 2020 → https://t.co/GDWWxZ1z0t pic.twitter.com/5NLgwzWqm5

— YouTube Music (@youtubemusic) October 8, 2020

The beleaguered sector in the US is among the many industries now facing further financial turmoil following the breakdown in talks this week between Donald Trump‘s administration and the Democrats over a COVID-19 relief bill.

NIVA, who represent over 2000 independent venues across the US, issued a statement on October 6, saying that they “have been sounding the alarm since April that if our members don’t get emergency assistance, they will go under forever — and it’s happening”.

It added: “The Save Our Stages Act has already passed the House and has strong bipartisan support with more than 160 Congresspeople cosponsoring because they know independent venues can be part of our country’s economic renewal once it’s safe to welcome people back — if our venues can survive this pandemic.”

Meanwhile, Foo Fighters have released a new online zine titled The People of Rock and Roll.

The venture has been launched to give the band’s fans a voice, with people being invited to share their memories of the Foos as the band continue to celebrate 25 years since the release of their debut album.

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