Taylor Hawkins’ Tribute Concert Stirs Up Many Emotions

Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images

Last Saturday, an all-star roster of musicians gathered at London’s Wembley Stadium to pay tribute to Foo Fighters’ drummer Taylor Hawkins. The beautiful night was more than anyone could have expected.

Dave Grohl tugged at the heart strings of all of Hawkins’ fans with his tearful opening speech. “Ladies and gentlemen, tonight we’ve gathered here to celebrate the life, the music, and the love of our dear friend, our bandmate, our brother, Taylor Hawkins,”

Some of the other memorable moments of the night included performances by Paul McCartney, Queen’s Brian May, Rush’s Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, and a multitude more of Hawkins’ favorite musicians who wanted to honor their late friend. Most of the performers got choked up as they described what Hawkins meant to them.

The musician who made the biggest impact of the audience was one who hasn’t been on the big stage nearly as much as the other performers. Shane Hawkins, Taylor Hawkins’ 16-year-old son, hopped in with the Foo Fighters to perform a chilling version of My Hero. Highly energized, Shane gave it his absolute all to honor his father who would surely be proud of this moment.

After a long, emotional night, Grohl closed out the concert with a solo performance of Everlong. The crowd, mainly in tears, sang along to the Foo Fighters classic while Grohl shown his heartfelt emotions on stage.

“I love you Taylor,” Grohl said in his final words of the night. “Let’s hear it one more time for Taylor fucking Hawkins! As loud as you can!”