A young Port Alberni musician had the opportunity of a lifetime when she joined her favourite band on stage in Vancouver last weekend.
16-year-old Madi Duncan, lead singer of the Alberni Teens Can Rock band Stranger Than Fiction, was invited up on stage by Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl and drummer Taylor Hawkins during a cover of Queen and David Bowie’s “Under Pressure.” Grohl took over on drums while Hawkins and Madi shared vocals.
Madi’s father, Craig Duncan, said Madi is a huge fan of the Foo Fighters and has been following them for years.
“It took lots of hard work on her part,” he said. “That was her dream.”
The Foo Fighters have invited guests on stage to cover “Under Pressure” in the past, including Queen’s Roger Taylor. Madi was prepared on Saturday with a Queen t-shirt and a poster that read, “Pick me.” By hanging out at the stadium in the afternoon, Madi was able to meet Hawkins and discuss the possibility of coming up on stage later that evening.
“We worked our butts off to get her to the stage front,” said Craig. “She got her sign up there and Dave [Grohl] saw it. The rest is history.”
Madi has been part of Stranger Than Fiction for the past two years, but has been performing “forever,” said Craig. She took piano lessons as a child and also plays drums in the Alberni District Secondary School band. She joined Alberni Teens Can Rock a few years ago to play the drums, but organizer Todd Flaro discovered she could also play guitar and ukulele and got her started on singing.
READ: Alberni Teens Can Rock gives young musicians a place to perform
“She’s used to performing, so she wasn’t afraid to sing in front of 18,000 people,” Craig laughed.
Craig said he believes Madi is the first girl who has joined the band on stage. She was high-fived and congratulated by other concert-goers after her performance.
“She was the superstar after that,” he said.
Madi took to her Instagram account after the experience to thank the Foo Fighters and explain how their music has helped her struggles with mental illness.
“I am extraordinarily grateful for this amazing opportunity,” she said. “I had no clue that it was even gonna happen. I didn’t think it was gonna happen.”
