Foo Fighters are preparing to hit the road again later this month, but guitarist Pat Smear will not be joining them at first. Rather than an injury tied to life onstage, Smear landed on the sidelines after what the band describes as another classic hazard of rock stardom, a mishap that happened while gardening.

The group broke the news on Instagram by posting a spoof tabloid cover that showed a smiling Smear giving the finger as he was wheeled away on a stretcher. The bold headline read, “Pat Smear Bizarre Gardening Accident!” while other fake teasers promised “Aliens Spotted Warming Up for Spring Training!” and “2026 Fried Chicken and Champagne Diet Tips.”

“In the classic tradition of rockstars having bizarre gardening accidents, Pat Smear has apparently rung in the new year by smashing the shit out of his left foot,” Foo Fighters wrote in the caption. The band did not go into detail about how the injury happened, but confirmed that Smear suffered several broken bones.

The guitarist is expected to miss “a few shows” as he recovers. The band added, “We’ll miss our beloved Pat as much as you will, but we want him fully healed and back on his feet as soon as possible.” During his absence, Smear will be filled in by Jason Falkner, who has previously played guitar with Beck and St. Vincent.

While the fake tabloid image leaned into humor, the idea of strange gardening injuries has a long running place in rock lore, blending myth and reality. On the fictional end, there is the well known Spinal Tap joke about the band’s original drummer, John “Stumpy” Pepys, who supposedly died in a “bizarre gardening accident” that officials felt was better left “unsolved.”

There are also real life examples. Toto drummer Jeff Porcaro died in the early Nineties after collapsing while spraying pesticides in his yard, though a coroner later ruled his death was due to a cocaine related heart attack rather than an allergic reaction. More recently, in May 2020, Queen guitarist Brian May said he tore his gluteus maximums “to shreds” during what he described as “a moment of over enthusiastic gardening.”

Foo Fighters will move forward without Smear for several shows this month, with dates lined up in Mexico, Los Angeles, and Tasmania. There is a chance he could return in time for Welcome to Rockville in Daytona Beach, Florida in May, or rejoin the group when their European and U.K. tour begins in June. A North American leg is currently slated to start in August.

The band also seems to be building toward another album cycle after sharing two new songs last year, “Today’s Song” and “Asking for a Friend.” Their latest full length release, But Here We Are, was released in 2023.