Foo Fighters' spring surprise show on New Zealand fans

Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters has announced a charity concert. Picture / Richard Robinson

Dave Grohl, frontman for US rockers Foo Fighters, is a man who likes surprises - and he's just sprung one on his band's Kiwi fans.

Grohl and the Foos have confirmed they'll play a smaller sideshow before their highly anticipated Saturday night gig at Mt Smart stadium in Auckland - and the proceeds will be donated to charity.

While up to 35,000 fans will pack into Mt Smart Stadium to see the American rockers perform hits like Monkey Wrench and Learn to Fly on Saturday night, just 2350 people will be able to see the Foos perform at the Auckland Town Hall on Friday night.

It's a rare chance to see the Foos in a relatively intimate venue, where they'll be showcasing new songs from Sonic Highways, the new album that doubled as an eight-part HBO documentary.

It's also a sequel to their Christchurch earthquake benefit show in 2011, an epic three-hour gig Grohl called "one of the best shows we ever played".

At Western Springs later that year, he promised to return, telling the crowd: "We'll come back and we'll play that town hall and you know what? Maybe next time we'll play for four hours".

In an interview with the Herald, Grohl promised to make the ground shake again - just like they did at Western Springs when crowd activity registered on nearby seismographs.

"I was more proud of that than anything else the band has done," Grohl said. "We shook the f****** Earth, man. So we're going to do it again."

Promoters are taking unique measures to prevent tickets - priced between $160-$199 - for the new show from being scalped.

Anyone who buys them when they go on sale at midday tomorrow through Ticketmaster will be limited to two, and they'll need to pick them up along with a wristband from Aotea Square on the day of the show.

They'll need to bring their guest and credit card with them.

All proceeds will be donated to the New Zealand Music Foundation, which supports projects in the community and provides emergency assistance to those in the music community who are experiencing hardship.

Foo Fighters
• New show: Auckland Town Hall, Friday, February 20.
• Tickets: On sale from midday tomorrow, through Ticketmaster.
• Also playing: Mt Smart Stadium, Saturday, February 21.