Josh Homme Says He'd Rather Not Play Stadiums, Even If He Could

Josh Homme, frontman of Queens of the Stone Age, says he has no interest in taking his band to stadium scale, even if the audience is there for it. Speaking on the We Might Be Drunk podcast, he put it plainly: "I don't enjoy that size." The comment comes after a summer spent largely inside big venues — a run of European dates with System of a Down, including two nights at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, and an ongoing North American stadium tour alongside Foo Fighters. According to Far Out Magazine, that extended exposure to stadium touring only hardened his position.

"A band's band," not the biggest band

Homme said he has always wanted Queens of the Stone Age to be a band respected by other musicians rather than one chasing maximum scale. Watching System of a Down sell out an 80,000-capacity venue on back-to-back nights while he opened, he said, left him unable to relate to that ambition.

He acknowledged his own band isn't close to Wembley Stadium-level status any time soon. But even if it got there, he said he'd still choose a string of smaller-venue shows over a single stadium date — accepting that this means not everyone who wants a ticket will get one.

$80 parking, $30 beer

Beyond square footage, Homme took aim at stadium economics, citing $80 parking fees for fans and insisting "the vibe is a big part" of what a show should be.

He also revisited a moment from a Foo Fighters stadium date at Ford Field in Detroit, where he lit a cigarette on stage and told the crowd not to let corporations dictate what they can and can't do. He later clarified to Consequence that the gesture wasn't about smoking — it was aimed at monopolies and corporate control: charging fans $85 for parking, $30 for a single beer, and dictating where they can and can't go, which he called, in effect, "controlling the fun."

What's next on the road

• September 15: Mosaic Stadium, on the same bill as Foo Fighters
• Further North American stadium dates including Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas
• Headline shows in Iceland and Japan later this year
• Late 2026: arena dates in Australia and New Zealand with Primus

Based on that schedule, the "more intimate" shows Homme describes will likely be the headline dates in Iceland and Japan — not the ongoing stadium run.