In March of this year, Foo Fighters and music as a whole took a step back to grieve when drummer Taylor Hawkins passed away suddenly. The 50-year-old rock veteran’s death left everyone in shock but while the rest of us played our favorite Foo Fighters song on repeat, Dave Grohl and the rest of the band got to work. Alongside the Hawkins family, Grohl brought together some of the greatest musicians of today and yesterday for a one-day festival in memory of their bandmate. The teary-eyed, all-day event took place yesterday (September 3) at Wembley Stadium in London, and veterans across all genres came out to show their support for Hawkins, his bandmates, and his family.
The night started off with Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher taking vocal duties for the Foo Fighters with Grohl on drums. The supergroup went through “Rock ‘n’ Roll Star” and “Live Forever” from Gallagher’s days in Oasis, the guest that appeared after that only got more jaw-dropping. Following Gallagher’s performance with Hawkins’ band, Nile Rodgers, Chris Chaney, and Omar Hakim joined forces to cover two Bowie songs, “Let’s Dance” and “Modern Love”. While a lot of these guest appearances were limited to only two or three songs, the sheer energy of all these rock legends coming together kept the momentum of the show at a high.
The Hawkins Tribute Concert was full of reunions. Chevy Metal, a cover band Hawkins started to keep busy in between tours and recording with Foo Fighters, came together to cover Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer” and in a twist that can only happen at a show like this, pop star Kesha joined the band to perform “Children of the Revolution” by T-Rex. Another one of Hawkins’ bands reunited right after Chevy Metal as The Coattail Riders, a band Hawkins fronted, came out for a three-song performance of originals. In another beautiful moment from the night, Dave Grohl’s supergroup Them Crooked Vultures took the stage together for the first time in 12 years. The band covered Elton John’s “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” and then performed an original from their heyday, “Gunman”. They capped off their set with a touching performance of “Long Slow Goodbye” by member Josh Homme’s Queens of The Stone Age.
One of the longest awaited performances was when Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson of Rush (who also recently lost a brother when Neil Peart passed in January 2020), performed “2112 Part I: Overture” and “Working Man” with Grohl on drums and then fusion drummer Omar Hakim joined the duo for “YYZ.”
Another big surprise was when previously unannounced Paul McCartney joined for “Oh Darling!” and “Helter Skelter” with help from Chrissie Hynde, Hakim and Pat Smear.
While bands like Supergrass, Pretenders and the remaining members of Queen and Rush all took the stage last night, the most touching moments came once the Foo Fighters took the stage. Grohl broke down amidst was the wave of emotions to his lost best friend on the solo vocal intro to “Times Likes These.” Through tears, the band was joined by Hawkins’ son Oliver Shane on drums for a heartbreaking yet beautiful performance of Foo Fighters’ smash hit “My Hero”. Grohl’s daughter Violet also made an appearance on stage with Mark Ronson to perform “Valerie” by Amy Winehouse.
While the night was filled with unforgettable reunions and touching guest appearances, the memories of Hawkins were always at the forefront of it all. To wrap up the night, Grohl stood on stage alone for an acoustic performance of “Everlong” before every star that showed up came back out on stage for a bow and photo.
The celebration of Taylor Hawkins’ life doesn’t end here. The family and fellow band members intend to do it all again in Los Angeles on September 27 with more guests and more surprises promised.
Check out the full setlist and footage from the tribute concert below;
