Dave Grohl advised the group that they'd see a "revolving door of drummers" honoring Hawkins at Saturday's present: "With regards to Taylor Hawkins, you gotta have fun the drummers, proper?"
The all-star Taylor Hawkins Tribute Live performance went on for greater than 5 hours Saturday, closing the evening out with an emotional, enthralling Foo Fighters set at London’s Wembley Stadium.
The present was a particular tribute to the late drummer, with a formidable variety of particular company all through the night. The Foo Fighters’ headlining second featured lots of the band’s best hits, assisted by family and friends on the drums in Taylor Hawkins’ place.
Dave Grohl advised the group that they’d see a “revolving door of drummers” honoring Hawkins on stage with them and famous (to cheers throughout), “With regards to Taylor Hawkins, you gotta have fun the drummers, proper?”
Josh Freese joined the group on “Occasions Like These” and “All My Life,” whereas Travis Barker — who Grohl recalled was in a band but in addition “a fucking rubbish man in Taylor’s neighborhood” when the 2 first met — commanded the stage for “The Pretender” and “Monkey Wrench.”
Subsequent up was somebody that Grohl described as “one of the badass drummers I’ve ever met in my complete life” and “the most important rock star on the invoice”: younger drummer Nandi Bushell, who joined the Foo Fighters on “Be taught to Fly”. “This positive younger drummer challenged me to a drum battle … at first I assumed she was kidding. She was not,” he mentioned. “I engaged in a drum battle and he or she proceeded to kick my ass in entrance of all the fucking world.”
Rufus Taylor took the drums for “These Days” and “Better of You.” Grohl mentioned, “We’ve recognized him since he was just a little child as a result of his father’s band [Rush] is Taylor’s favourite band, and his father was I believe Taylor’s favourite singer.”
Earlier than the Foo Fighters continued with their very own best-of set, Grohl — teasing, “We received one other little shock for you” — let a pair different superstars take the highlight: Paul McCartney and Chrissie Hynde, who united for an sudden duet of the Beatles‘ “Oh! Darling,” buying and selling off vocals on the verses, earlier than McCartney segued into “Helter Skelter.” McCartney revealed he’d by no means carried out “Oh! Darling” as a duet earlier than Saturday evening, and actually hadn’t carried out the tune “since we recorded it 100 years in the past.” He additionally mentioned, “God bless Taylor.”
Omar Hakim had assisted McCartney on drums, and he remained on stage because the Foo Fighters launched again into their very own hits. Of “Aurora,” Grohl mentioned, “I believe this subsequent tune was Taylor’s favourite Foo Fighters tune.”
A touching spotlight of the evening got here subsequent. “Let me inform you,” mentioned Grohl, introducing a really particular drummer to the group. “I don’t suppose I’ve ever seen anybody hit the drums as onerous as this particular person … He’s a member of our household, and he must be right here tonight with all of us.” A photograph of Hawkins together with his son Shane was proven on an enormous display screen, and the teenager joined the group on drums for a shifting “My Hero.”
“I hope that you just guys felt all of the love from all of us and the entire performers as a result of we felt it from you, for Taylor, tonight,” Grohl mentioned because the evening got here to an finish. “I don’t actually know what else to say.”
“This one’s for Taylor,” he mentioned, concluding an incredible evening of music with “Everlong.”
“Let’s hear it huge and loud for Taylor fucking Hawkins proper now,” mentioned Grohl.
Watch the complete present under.
This story first appeared on Billboard.com.