Following the devastating and untimely loss of Taylor Hawkins at the age of just 50, Foo Fighters understandably cancelled all upcoming events and took the time to process, reflect and mourn. And while that process will be a lifelong one, celebrating the life of Hawkins, who was far more than simply a drummer in one of the world’s biggest bands, was simply something that had to be done.
Today, Foo Fighters and the Hawkins family have announced a pair of tribute shows. Dave Grohl, Nate Mendel, Chris Shiflett, Pat Smear and Rami Jaffee will come together with the Hawkins family to celebrate the life, music and love of their husband, father, brother and bandmate with The Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concerts.
As one of the most respected and beloved figures in modern music, Taylor’s monolithic talent and magnetic personality endeared him to millions of fans, peers, friends and fellow musical legends the world over. Millions mourned his untimely passing on 25th March this year, with passionate and sincere tributes coming from fans as well as musicians Taylor idolised. The Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concerts will unite several of those artists, the Hawkins family and of course his Foo Fighters brothers in celebration of Taylor’s memory and his legacy as a global rock icon—his bandmates and his inspirations playing the songs that he fell in love with, and the ones he brought to life.
The all-star rock and roll shows will take place on 3rd September at London’s Wembley Stadium and 27th September at The Kia Forum in Los Angeles.
The lineups for each show will be announced shortly. Sign up to receive information on timings, ticketing links and on sale dates here.
Taylor Hawkins joined Foo Fighters in 1997, first appearing with the band on the tour supporting sophomore album The Colour & The Shape. He made his recorded debut with Foo Fighters with 1999’s There Is Nothing Left To Lose, playing on every subsequent FF album, including One By One, In Your Honor (the first FF album to feature him assuming lead vocal duties on his song Cold Day In The Sun), Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, Wasting Light, Sonic Highways, Concrete & Gold (also featuring him as lead singer on Sunday Rain along with Beatles legend Paul McCartney on drums) and Medicine at Midnight. As a member of Foo Fighters, Taylor was a 15-time GRAMMY Award winner and member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. He lived and loved music to an insatiable degree, with Foo Fighters as well as his numerous solo and side projects and collaborations including releasing three records as lead singer with Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders.
Taylor has been described by those that know him as a lifelong music fan first and foremost. His personal relationships, collaborations and jam sessions with some of his childhood heroes, such as Queen’s Roger Taylor and The Police sticksman Stewart Copeland will go down as one of the key aspects that made him keep smiling, keep drumming and fueling his desire to excel in his field and be open to trying new things.
As a long-time fan of Foo Fighters, it’s incredibly difficult to imagine them playing without Taylor on drums or upfront on vocals, singing one of the groups own Hawkins-led tunes or a rendition of a Queen classic. So it must be taking more strength than this writer can imagine for the Foo Fighters and Hawkins family to put on these shows, another reminder of what has been taken away from them far too soon.
