Taylor Hawkins: Foo Fighters pay tribute to drummer at emotional London concert
Hawkins, 50, died in March in Bogotá, Colombia, hours earlier than the Foo Fighters have been set to take the stage on the Festival Estereo Picnic. The band instantly canceled its remaining tour dates.
Saturday’s live performance was the primary time the band had carried out collectively since Hawkins’ loss of life.
According to the UK’s PA Media information company, a tearful Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl advised the group at London’s Wembley Stadium: “Taylor beloved to jam and report with anyone and all people. He beloved to play music each day. And there aren’t too many individuals that he is by no means jammed with. So this assortment of family and friends and musicians, that is all introduced collectively by him and we’re all linked right here at present by that one man.”
The theme of household was ever-present all through the present. Sixteen-year-old Oliver Shane Hawkins joined his father’s band for a robust rendition of Foo Fighters track “My Hero.”
“Ladies and gents, now we have yet one more drummer that is going to come back up and play with us,” Grohl mentioned as he welcomed Hawkins’ son to the stage. “And let me let you know I do not assume I’ve ever seen anybody hit the drums as arduous as this individual, however past that, he is a member of our household. And he must be right here tonight with all of us, and I feel it is sensible that he’ll come up and play with us tonight.”
Some of music’s greatest names turned out to honor Hawkins together with Queen’s Roger Taylor and Brian May, Rush, AC/DC singer Brian Johnson and Nile Rodgers. The Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde, pop star Kesha, Eurovision sensation Sam Ryder and The Darkness frontman Justin Hawkins additionally joined the celebration.
In a pre-recorded message, Elton John referred to as Hawkins “an unbelievable drummer” and recalled him “enjoying on my final album, which I used to be so thrilled about and honored.”
“Tonight is about remembering him, honoring him and do not ever overlook him,” John added, in line with PA.
Comedians Dave Chappelle and Jason Sudeikis additionally took to the stage to inform anecdotes about their relationship to Hawkins’ music.
Concertgoers described the “unbelievable” ambiance on the gig, telling CNN, everybody was there to honor Hawkins and “it could not have been higher.”
“With it being the primary gig since he handed, it was actually emotional, actually uncooked,” mentioned Carolina Madeira. “Dave [Grohl] nearly broke down, and the ambiance was simply unbelievable, folks have been cheering him, attempting to assist him preserve singing. I used to be crying like a child… everybody was breaking down in tears.”
The 35-year-old mentioned she did not know the place Hawkins’ son obtained the energy to carry out, including: “He was so good on the drums, and you may see the reference to the band was actual, you’ll be able to see the vitality from him. It’s a tricky factor to do, particularly at 16, he was unbelievable.”
Saturday’s live performance was the primary of two celebratory occasions honoring Hawkins. A second tribute live performance shall be held on September 27 in Los Angeles. Funds from the occasions will go to the Music Support and MusiCares charities, each of which have been chosen by the Hawkins household.
Hawkins joined Foo Fighters in 1997, first showing with the band on the tour supporting their sophomore album, “The Colour and the Shape.”
CNN’s Chloe Melas contributed to this story.