Watch Foo Fighters play with Paul McCartney and Travis Barker at Taylor Hawkins tribute live performance
Foo Fighters closed out the Taylor Hawkins tribute live performance at Wembley Stadium tonight (September 3) with an enormous set that featured big-name visitors, together with Paul McCartney and Travis Barker.
The memorial gig kicked off this afternoon and featured an all-star forged all through the six-hour run, from Liam Gallagher to Mark Ronson, Josh Homme to AC/DC’s Brian Johnson, and plenty of extra.
After a video was proven that includes efficiency and video clips of Hawkins all through the years, Grohl took to the microphone to kick off the ultimate portion of the night time. Tearing up, the musician started a poignant model of Foo Fighters’ 2002 hit ‘Occasions Like These’ along with his bandmates, plus Devo and The Vandals’ drummer Josh Freese.
After a raucous rendition of ‘All My Life’, Grohl defined how the final set of the night would work. “We’re gonna play a number of the Foo Fighters songs with a few of Taylor’s mates – his favorite drummers and his good mates – coming as much as play with us,” he stated. “So there’s gonna be sort of a revolving door of drummers who’re gonna come up and rejoice Taylor’s fucking superior drums.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOnjLuBBkhU
“For those who might solely see what number of fucking drum units are again there – it seems to be just like the native music store, it’s a fucking nightmare. However you gotta do this. In terms of Taylor Hawkins, you gotta rejoice the drummers, proper?”
Grohl then launched Blink-182’s Travis Barker to the stage, sharing an anecdote about how Barker and Hawkins had first met. “Apparently, Taylor met this man when this man was a fucking rubbish man in Taylor’s neighbourhood and Taylor began going to see his band play when he was a younger child,” he stated. “Taylor would at all times inform him, ‘You’re gonna be a star, man. You’re gonna be a star’. Years later, we wound up on tour along with his band and now, he’s gonna sit in with us to play a pair songs.”
Barker joined Foo Fighters on stage to play the 2007 single ‘The Pretender’ and 1997’s ‘Monkey Wrench’.
Following Barker’s departure from the package, Grohl instructed the group: “Alright, now we’ve got one thing very particular for you. An individual that we’ve identified for some time now – probably the most badass drummers I’ve ever met in my complete life. A protracted, very long time in the past, somebody despatched me slightly clip from Instagram of this high quality younger drummer who challenged me to a drum battle. She stated, ‘Dave Grohl, I problem you to a drum battle’. At first, I believed she was kidding – she was not. All of my mates stated, ‘No no no, you must reply’. So I engaged in a drum battle with this individual and she or he proceeded to kick my fucking ass in entrance of the complete world.
“Ever since then, we’ve been mates. So all people, you gotta say hello to our pal, the good fucking drummer on this planet.” The star then invited 12-year-old drummer Nandi Bushell onto the stage. “Let me inform you, she’s the most important rock star on the invoice,” Grohl added. “I do know we acquired Queen and Rush and all that shit, however we acquired Nandi tonight.”
Bushell accompanied the band for the 1999 single ‘Be taught To Fly’, which initially appeared on the album ‘There Is Nothing Left To Lose’. The younger musician sang alongside to the phrases as she hit the drums and delivered a brief solo to shut out the music.
Queen drummer Roger Taylor’s son Rufus was the following to take to the drums, who Grohl known as “an actual member of the Foo Fighters household”. “We’ve identified him since he was slightly child as a result of his father’s band was Taylor’s favorite band and his father was, I believe, Taylor’s favorite singer and rock star – and perhaps favorite individual,” he stated. Collectively, Rufus Taylor and Foo Fighters performed 2011’s ‘These Days’ and 2005’s ‘Greatest Of You’.
“Pulling this entire factor collectively over the past three months, we’ve met some actually wonderful individuals,” Grohl stated afterwards. “People who I’ve by no means met earlier than. One in all them, I acquired to face on stage with tonight and play the bass – Miss Chrissie Hynde from The Pretenders, who I occur to assume is the baddest motherfucker on this planet. She introduced a pal together with her tonight, so would all people please welcome Miss Chrissie Hynde and our good pal, Mr Paul McCartney.”
Hynde and McCartney got here to the entrance of the stage, with The Beatles star carrying a bass. “God bless Taylor,” he stated. “Me and Chrissie are gonna do a music right here that I haven’t finished since we recorded it 100 years in the past. I’ve by no means finished it as a duet, however we’re gonna do it tonight for the primary time for you.” Aided by Grohl and Foo Fighters, the artists then launched right into a model of The Beatles’ ‘Abbey Street’ observe ‘Oh! Darling’. Omar Hakim, who performed drums for David Bowie, joined the group on drums.
Hynde left the stage after the music was completed, with McCartney remaining on to carry out one other observe, pausing to share an anecdote about Foo Fighters earlier than. “Dave rang me up sooner or later and he stated, ‘Taylor’s written this music referred to as ‘Summer time Rain’,’ and he stated, ‘We’d such as you to drum on it,’” the star shared. “There’s this group who’ve acquired two of one of the best drummers on this planet they usually need me to drum on it? So I did. It’s fairly a reminiscence.” The band then launched right into a model of The Beatles’ ‘Helter Skelter’.
Hakim stayed behind the package for a efficiency of ‘Aurora’, taken from Foo Fighters’ 1999 album ‘There Is Nothing Left To Lose’, which Grohl stated was Hawkins’ favorite music of the band’s. Afterwards, Hakim made means for Hawkins’ 16-year-old son Shane to get behind the drums for ‘My Hero’.
“Now, we’ve acquired the little man,” Grohl stated. “Let me inform you, I don’t assume I’ve ever seen anybody hit the drums as exhausting as this individual. However past that, he’s a member of our household and he must be right here tonight with all of us and I believe it is smart that he’s going to return up and play with us tonight.”
A photograph of Shane and his dad was proven on the massive display because the younger drummer kicked off the efficiency of the 1997 single. With Grohl cheering him on, Shane completed the music with a blistering solo.
The ultimate set of the night time concluded with Grohl performing one in all Foo Fighters’ most well-known songs solo. “I hope that you simply guys felt all of the love from all of us and all the performers, as a result of we felt it from you for Taylor tonight, so thanks all people,” the frontman stated earlier than the top of the set. “I don’t actually know what else to say. I’d wish to thank the Hawkins household – Shane, Everleigh, Annabelle, Alison – for being right here with us tonight.
“This one’s for Taylor,” Grohl added, starting the ultimate music – 1997’s ‘Everlong’. Watch footage of the entire Foo Fighters set above, beginning across the -1.28.04 mark.
Foo Fighters performed:
‘Occasions Like These’
‘All My Life’
‘The Pretender’
‘Monkey Wrench’
‘Be taught To Fly’
‘These Days’
‘Greatest Of You’
‘Oh! Darling’
‘Helter Skelter’
‘Aurora’
‘My Hero’
‘Everlong’
Earlier within the night, Grohl and Hawkins’ Foo Fighter bandmates opened the live performance with an emotional speech that paid tribute to their late drummer. “For these of you who knew him personally, you recognize that nobody else might make you smile, or snort, or dance, or sing like he might,” the frontman stated.
Comic Dave Chappelle additionally recalled spending time with the rock star and his son in New York. “I’ve seen Taylor be a rock star many nights but it surely was my first time seeing him be a dad, and what a cool fucking dad,” he stated. “Taylor Hawkins is a legend of a person, he’s a legend of a musician and he’s a legend of a father.”
Liam Gallagher kicked off the reside music in the present day, performing two Oasis songs with the assistance of the surviving members of Foo Fighters, whereas Purple Scorching Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith shared a heartwarming story about Hawkins in a particular video message.
Grohl’s 16-year-old daughter Violet additionally took to the stage to cowl two Jeff Buckley songs on the present, and supergroup Them Crooked Vultures reunited for the primary time in 12 years. Supergrass additionally carried out, with the trio recalling touring with Foo Fighters and Hawkins within the ’90s.
Hawkins, who drummed with Foo Fighters from 1997 alongside performing in bands like Chevy Steel and Taylor Hawkins And The Coattail Riders, died in March 2022. He was 50 years outdated.