TONIGHT is the night.After the shock announcement that American rock band the Foo Fighters were to be performing in Ipswich, the town's Regent Theatre has been frantically working to prepare for their arrival.

TONIGHT is the night.

After the shock announcement that American rock band the Foo Fighters were to be performing in Ipswich, the town's Regent Theatre has been frantically working to prepare for their arrival.

And this morning the preparations really got underway when a team of workers began unloading a fleet of lorries and coaches.

Amplifiers, sound equipment and instruments all arrived at the Regent overnight and today the team began the preparation for the acoustic gig.

The Foo Fighters are one of the most popular rock bands in the world and their decision to play the small scale Ipswich gig came as a surprise to fans. Just 1,725 fans will cram into the theatre tonight, compared to the more than 60,000 who will hear the band play in Hyde Park later this month.

Plans for the gig were kept a closely guarded secret by the band's management, who exclusively revealed the news to the Evening Star on June 1 - giving the Regent the shortest time it has ever had to prepare for a gig.

Since the announcement, the band's management have imposed tough restrictions on media coverage and have refused to allow any access to the band.

However, in a statement, it was revealed the Foo's frontman Dave Grohl already has connections with Ipswich.

A spokeswoman said: “The band are playing in Ipswich because they wanted to play somewhere they've never played before in the UK to re-create the atmosphere of being a newborn band just starting out - the venue's intimacy is perfect for that.

“Dave has been to Ipswich before by train from London to visit an old family friend who lives there, so is quite familiar with the town.”

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