10 things we learned from the Taylor Hawkins tribute show
“It’s times like these you learn to live again
It’s times like these you give and give again
It’s times like these you learn to love again
It’s times like these time and time again”
‘Times like These’ — Foo Fighters
At Wembley Stadium on September 3rd, 2022, a sense of sadness was overcome by a feeling of togetherness that few could have predicted. An intimate family affair may seem strange to describe an event attended by thousands and broadcast to millions, but that’s exactly what the Taylor Hawkins tribute show was. As Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters family gathered around to pay homage to their dearly departed drummer, the rock world huddled around them to incubate their grief and begin the road to recovery.
Watching this show touched most people in attendance in a way that rock shows rarely do. A six-hour set with 50 songs is the stuff of rock and roll dreams in usual settings, but with the sadness of Hakwins’ loss palpable in the air, there was a feeling that this wasn’t anything close to simply being a rock show.
It’s hard to quantify the impact a drummer can have. Firstly, within a band, drummers can either breathe the backlit doldrums of the stage to reach the foreground and share the spotlight, or they can humbly take their place at the back of the stage and provide the foundations one needs to build a worthy sonic structure. Somehow, Taylor Hawkins managed to do both of those things.
Then, once implemented within a famous band, a drummer can once again choose to use their newfound fame for good or for selfish gains. Hawkins always championed the former, putting his money where his mouth was on more than one occasion.
In Wembley stadium, we felt every last morsel of Hawkins’ character come to the fore. He was a beloved husband, a respected drummer, a doting father, an extremely humble man and an all-around cool guy. He may have left this earth too soon, but his impact will be felt forever.
10 things we learned from the Taylor Hawkins tribute show
Liam Gallagher is still a rock ‘n’ roll star
After Dave Grohl, Nate Mendel, Pat Smear, and Chris Shiflett had made an opening speech, promising to honour Hawkins with the music he made and the music he loved, it was down to one performer to open up proceedings in earnest. Few are capable of such a daunting task, but one man who is never afraid of a fight is Liam Gallagher.
Hawkins was a devoted Oasis fan, and Liam Gallagher did the honourable thing in performing two stone-cold classics, backed by the Foo Fighters with Grohl on drums. Singing ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll Star’ and ‘Live Forever’, he offered himself to the crowd as a humble and gracious performer.
Josh Homme does a great David Bowie
Amid a series of high-profile supergroups on stage, perhaps none hit quite as hard as Nile Rodgers, Omar Hakim and Josh Homme as they delivered a rendition of David Bowie’s ‘Let’s Dance’ that would have delighted Hawkins’ infatuation with the Starman. A lover of all things Bowie, Hawkins was a superfan like no other.
Homme arrived in a flurry of applause to deliver a stunningly accurate vocal on ‘Let’s Dance’, complete with a beautiful cadence. Supergrass’ own Gaz Coombes then joined the group for a run-through of Bowie’s ‘Modern Love’.
Taylor Hawkins was more humble than you know
One thing that came through amid the reem of video messages was just how humble Taylor Hawkins was. That humility was typified in two speeches from Chad Smith and Dave Chapelle. Smith spoke generously of Hawkins’ spirit and willingness to help out young drummers in California, spending thousands of dollars a month on providing less privileged children with access to drums.
Then it was time for Chapelle to recall a meeting he had with Taylor and his sone, Shane. “I’ve seen Taylor be a rock star many nights, but it was my first time seeing him be a dad, and what a cool fucking dad,” he told the audience. “It was the first time that Dave Grohl and I ever even mentioned the name, Kurt Cobain. It was the first time we ever even talked about our love of jazz and go-go music, and Taylor’s son Shane was soaking it all in. He sat there, he asked the best questions – not about fame, always about art.”
The group then moved to New York jazz club The Blue Note and watched jazz musician Robert Glasper perform. “I listened to Taylor and his son the whole show talk about the drummer,” he said. “I remember Shane, Taylor’s son, say to his father as he was listening, ‘Dad, you can’t do that shit’. I’d never heard someone talk to a rockstar that way. And Taylor Hawkins, as humble as is, said, ‘Son, those are real musicians.'”
Rush and Queen prove rock reunions are still worth seeing
Reunions were the name of the game as countless acts put their hiatuses aside to get on stage and pay tribute to their friend. Not only did Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee hop on stage alongside Grohl to perform two Rush numbers, but Queen — one of Hawkins’ favourite bands of all time — also found time to get on stage and deliver a stunning set.
Elsewhere, John Paul Jones, Grohl and Homme reconnected to perform songs under the banner of Them Crooked Vultures for the first time in 12 years, while Brian Johnston of AC/DC and Lars Ulrich of Metallica may have to do their own reunion soon, as they delivered a supergroup set of epic proportions. Add to that the appearance of Justin Hawkins, Pretenders and Joe Walsh, and you have a seriously impressive run.
The future of rock and roll is safe in Violet Grohl’s hands
Running through the list of performers, it’s hard to imagine how Violet Gorlh was feeling, although, as she stepped up to the mic to sing two Jeff Buckley songs and saw the wealth of Wembley stadium looking back at her, we may have guessed. Violet, rather than shrinking, stepped up to the plate and hit a home run.
Not only were her performances of Buckley — another Hawkins favourite — as beautiful a poignant as the songs deserve, but she also put in a party performance too, alongside Mark Ronson for a cover of ‘Valerie’. Shane Hawkins was also a bright spark, as he paid the most fitting tribute to his father by drumming alongside Dave Grohl for an emotional rendition of ‘My Hero’.
The drumming union is strong
Drummers look out for each other. As the songs wore on, one thing became clear, Hawkins was a drummer’s drummer. Across the set numerous high-profile percussionists came out to show their appreciation for Hawkins. Chad Smith, Stewart Copeland, Travis Barker, Nandi Bushell and a series of other performers all paid tribute to their friend.
However, the most poignant drumming performance came from Hawkins’ teenage son, Shane. Possessing an uncannily similar style to his father, Shane’s powerhouse performance of ‘My Hero’ will go down as one of the stadium’s most emotionally charged songs ever witnessed.
Dave Grohl can play every instrument better than you
One thing quickly became clear during the run of 50 songs — Dave Grohl can play every instrument better than you. Whether he was behind the kit drumming like it was 1991 or picking up the bass to play Van Halen alongside Wolfgang Van Halen and Justin Hawkins, Grohl is a whizz with everything he touches.
It’s a testament to his staying power that he not only played on almost every song that we heard, but he nailed every single one of them. While his ‘nice guy’ image precedes him, he remains one of the great musical figures of rock and roll, and should do for decades to come.
Friends will always be there for you
With an evening so clearly rendered with grief, it felt prevalent that Dave Grohl, a man who has seen a lot of tragedy in his life, should end the evening surrounded by his family and friends. Across the evening, those who had known and loved Hawkins joined forces to give him the send-off he deserved. Whether it was Them Crooked vultures or Grohl’s latest pal, Sir Paul McCartney, he was never far away from a shoulder to cry on.
As the group welcomed the guest stars on stage for one final bow, a sense that this was a cathartic process for all involved became very real. A clearly emotional Grohl looked to be taking some steps towards healing. It struck a special chord for those who watched in the stadium and at home.
Los Angeles has big shoes to fill
One thing that cannot be understated is how wild the crowd went for this show. Yes, there were hundreds of reasons to buy a ticket aside from paying tribute to Taylor Hawkins. The guestlist was so monumental that it could have satisfied any festival in the world. But the audience seemed more engaged than ever that this was something special.
With another show in Los Angeles on the horizon, there is likely to be another stellar line-up and killer set of performers. But, let me tell you, Los Angeles has pretty big brogues to fill.
Taylor Hawkins will never be forgotten
As crowds drifted towards the tube station, and the hum of a simply epic night buzzed around the audience, it became clear that this was a night nobody would ever forget. The performance was only matched by the highly charged sentiment of the occasion. Some stadium shows can have that effect on you, but this felt different.
As an audience, we weren’t leaving feeling spent by the plethora of iconic rock stars we had just witnessed but by the powerful and moving moments nestled between them. While on a global stage, a world-beating show was performed, it was the fragile intimacy of the people who made it that will never be forgotten. Taylor Hawkins was and will always be an icon.
