During an August 2026 concert in Detroit, Josh Homme slammed Ford Field’s venue-wide ban on smoking. Queens of the Stone Age joined Foo Fighters on their Take Cover Tour on August 4, serving as openers on several dates until September 26.

But during the August 6 stop in Detroit, Homme reportedly had a hard time finding a spot to take a smoke break at the venue. Ford Field has a strict no-smoking policy, including a $10,000 fine for smoking backstage. While closing out their set, Homme took a moment to defy the policy and urged fans to rise up against the corporate-controlled venue.

“Don’t let these f**kin’ corporate a**holes tell you what to do,” he told the crowd. “Do whatever the f**k you want. F**k that shit. You paid for parking, and you’re paying for overpriced drinks, these f**king scalpers. F**k having some corporation tell you what the f**k to do. You guys do what you want!”

Josh Homme Blasts Venue’s No-Smoking Policies While Lighting a Cigarette on Stage

Josh Homme lit a cigarette following his impassioned speech. Then, he tacked on, “And f**k Flock cameras too.” This, of course, refers to the controversial surveillance cameras that automatically log all identifying information from every passing car into a cloud-hosted searchable database for law enforcement and other entities to track movement and find personal information without a warrant.

Meanwhile, this is the first outing for Queens of the Stone Age since 2025, when they embarked on The Catacombs Tour. In June 2025, they released Alive in the Catacombs, an album and film recorded in the Catacombs of Paris. It marked the first time any music has been played legally in the Catacombs.

The tour kicked off in October 2025 and concluded in May 2026. During their previous tour, the European leg was cut short in 2024 due to Josh Homme’s health issues. Shows from July 5 to November 17 had to be canceled. Homme later revealed that he was ill while filming in the Catacombs.

As for the Foo Fighters, they’ll be on their tour into 2027. North American dates continue through August and September. In November, they’ll head to Australia, then New Zealand in January 2027. The rest of their international dates continue until March 3.

Photo by Medios y Media/Getty Images