Former bassist and vocalist Nick Oliveri made a surprise appearance with Queens Of The Stone Age during their recent concert in California, marking his first live performance of the song “Auto Pilot” with the group in over a decade.
The unexpected reunion took place on Friday, April 24, at the Joshua Tree Retreat Center in Joshua Tree, California. The show served as the kickoff for a brief spring run of West Coast tour dates. Fan-filmed footage of the collaboration quickly surfaced online, capturing the milestone performance.
Nick Oliveri originally joined Queens Of The Stone Age in 1998 and spent six years as a core member of the American rock outfit. His highly publicized departure in the early 2000s followed a string of erratic behavior, which notably included a naked onstage performance in Brazil that resulted in his arrest.
Despite the initially tumultuous split, relations between the two camps have significantly improved over the years. Nick Oliveri contributed to the band’s 2013 studio album, …Like Clockwork. During the subsequent promotional tour for that record, his band at the time, Uncontrollable, served as a supporting act. That 2014 run featured brief onstage reunions to perform material from his era in the band—a collaborative feat that had not been repeated until this recent rendition of “Auto Pilot“.
Queens Of The Stone Age 2026 Spring West Coast Tour Dates:
- 27 Apr – Portland, OR – Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
- 29 Apr – Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre
- 01 May – Lincoln, CA – Thunder Valley Casino Resort
Queens of the Stone Age will also support System Of A Down on their upcoming European tour.
The tour begins June 29 at Strawberry Arena in Stockholm, followed by shows at Stade De France in Paris, Milan, Berlin, and Düsseldorf. After a performance at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, the run wraps up on July 19 at PGE Narodowy in Warsaw. This represents the band’s most significant return to Europe since their 20-show tour nearly ten years ago, which featured a headlining appearance at Download Festival.
Europe & UK 2026 Tour Dates:
- Jun. 29 – Stockholm, Sweden – Strawberry Arena
- Jul. 02 – Paris, France – Stade de France
- Jul. 04 – Paris, France – Stade de France
- Jul. 06 – Milan, Italy – Ippodromo Snai La Maura
- Jul. 08 – Berlin, Germany – Olympiastadion Berlin
- Jul. 10 – Düsseldorf, Germany – Open Air Park Düsseldorf
- Jul. 13 – London, United Kingdom – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
- Jul. 15 – London, United Kingdom – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
- Jul. 18 – Warsaw, Poland – PGE Narodowy
- Jul. 19 – Warsaw, Poland – PGE Narodowy
