Getty Image / Gary Miller
Dave Grohl and The Foo Fighters were the main musical attraction at Etihad Park ahead of the Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix over the weekend in the United Arab Emirates where the use of profanity is forbidden by law.
Dave Grohl had to actually tape up a sign on stage saying ‘no cursing’ as a reminder to himself to not use profanity in the UAE or he’d risk up prison time. Specifically, use of the f-word in the UAE is punishable by up to 1 year in prison.
Consequence of Sound shared a picture and video of Dave Grohl on stage in the UAE ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with his ‘no profanity’ reminder sign:
Dave Grohl needed a "NO CURSING" sign to remind him not to curse during Foo Fighters' concert in Abu Dhabi.
Usage of the F-word is considered a crime, punishable by up to a year in prison. https://t.co/GyC6jx26p7 pic.twitter.com/66O1hTMeYL
— CONSEQUENCE (@consequence) November 27, 2023
It is hard to imagine a world where UAE officials would throw a celebrity into prison for a slip up after going through the effort of taping a ‘no profanity’ sign onto the stage. But it’s probably for the best that Dave Grohl, who usually curses like a sailor, was able to keep his profanity in check.
As for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix results, Max Verstappen once again led the field beating out Charles Leclerc in 2nd and George Russell in 3rd. It was the final F1 race of 2023 and now the teams will be idle until Bahrain in February.
On social media, fans of The Foo Fighters had thoughts on the ‘no profanity’ sign. One person commented “How about just don’t play there” and another added “Not going to Abu Dhabi was an option, too.”
It seems like many fans are firmly in the camp of ‘why go there if you have to abide by backward rules?’ but that discounts the many Foo Fighters fans living in the UAE who have no control whatsoever over the local laws. Why deprive them of a great show?