Grohl Plays Tribute Song for Beaconsfield Survivor
Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl performed 'Ballad of the Beaconsfield Miners' at Accor Stadium in Sydney on 10 November, hours after a mine survivor's death was announced.
Updated on Nov. 11, 2026 in Rock
Dave Grohl played 'Ballad of the Beaconsfield Miners' at the Foo Fighters show at Accor Stadium in Sydney on 10 November. The performance came hours after news that Todd Russell, one of two miners rescued after the 2006 Beaconsfield Gold Mine rock fall, had died of an undisclosed illness.
Why it matters
The song was written for Russell and Brant Webb, who were trapped underground for 14 days before their rescue. Grohl's tribute ties a rock band's stage to a mining disaster that remains part of Australian memory.
Russell and Webb were rescued after 14 days underground at a depth of nearly a kilometre, and the song was first performed for them at the Sydney Opera House in October 2006. The cause of Russell's death has not been disclosed.
The players
Dave Grohl
Dave Grohl is the frontman of the rock band Foo Fighters, who wrote the instrumental for the Beaconsfield miners.
Todd Russell
Todd Russell was a Beaconsfield mine survivor who was trapped underground with Brant Webb for 14 days in 2006.
The details
Grohl walked out alone to a secondary stage at the Sydney show to perform the song. Grohl had earlier offered Russell and Webb tickets to any Foo Fighters show in the world, and Webb's request for an iPod loaded with Foo Fighters music during the rescue reportedly reached him.
Timeline
25 April 2006: rock fall struck the Beaconsfield Gold Mine on Anzac Day.
9 May 2006: Russell and Webb were rescued after 14 days underground.
October 2006: the instrumental was first performed at the Sydney Opera House.
2007: the instrumental was released on 'Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace'.
10 November 2026: Grohl performed the song at Accor Stadium in Sydney.
Legacy
The 2006 Beaconsfield Gold Mine rescue remains one of Australia's most widely followed mining survival stories. Grohl's tribute keeps that story alive in a stadium setting more than two decades on.
Fans can see the tour at upcoming Australian and New Zealand dates, including Newcastle on 12 November. The tribute was performed at a live show, so attendance is the only way to hear it in this setting.
The takeaway
Musical tributes can carry real-world stories beyond the stage, linking a band's work to events that matter to the public. The 2006 rescue shows how a song can keep a community's memory of hardship alive.
What happens next
The 'Take Cover' tour continues in Newcastle on 12 November, with further dates to follow in Melbourne, Adelaide and New Zealand.
Further reading
Explore more Rock coverage for context on Grohl's career and the band's live work.
