Taylor Hawkins' son performs in dad's honor at Foo Fighters' epic tribute concert
Foo Fighters held the first of two tribute concerts to their late drummer Taylor Hawkins on Saturday at London's Wembley Stadium.
One of the most special moments of the night was when Hawkins' son Shane joined the band on drums for their hit classic, "My Hero."
The 16-year-old played passionately as photos of the two appeared behind him on a large screen.
The show, which honored the late drummer, who died in March at the age of 50, began with a video montage set to the Foo Fighters song "Aurora," after which frontman Dave Grohl, flanked by bandmates Nate Mendel, Chris Shiflett, Pat Smear and Rami Jaffee, came onstage to deliver his first public remarks since Hawkins' unexpected death.
"Tonight, we've gathered with family and [Hawkins'] closest friends, his musical heroes and greatest inspirations, to bring you a gigantic f------- night for a gigantic f------ person," Grohl told the cheering crowd.
The concert more than lived up to that lofty promise, stretching six hours with performances from some of the biggest names in music, beginning with Liam Gallagher, who kicked off the night with performances of the Oasis songs "Rock 'n' Roll Star" and "Live Forever" alongside Foo Fighters, with Grohl on drums.
The first half of the show was mostly a tribute to the music that Hawkins himself loved. Queens of the Stone Age's Joshua Homme joined Chic's Nile Rodgers for a cover of David Bowie's "Let's Dance," and Wolfgang Van Halen channeled the spirit of his late father Eddie Van Halen with performances of Van Halen's "Hot for Teacher" and "On Fire," with Grohl on bass.
Grohl's daughter Violet also sang two Jeff Buckley songs, and the Joe Walsh-fronted band James Gang reunited for their first live set since 2006.
Hawkins' side projects, Chevy Metal and Coattail Riders also performed, as did Supergrass, The Pretenders with Grohl on bass, The Darkness' Justin Hawkins, and the reunited supergroup Them Crooked Vultures, featuring Grohl, Homme and Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones with guitarist Alain Johannes.
In between performances, the Wembley screens showed video tributes sent in by artists including Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, Billie Eilish and FINNEAS, Slash and Duff McKagan of Guns N' Roses, Mötley Crüe's Nikki Sixx and Elton John. Fleetwood Mac's Stevie Nicks also sent in an audio message, while comedian Dave Chappelle and actor Jason Sudeikis gave in-person remarks.
The concert eventually took on the appearance of a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony: The Foo Fighters returned to the stage with AC/DC's Brian Johnson and Metallica's Lars Ulrich to play AC/DC's "Back in Black" and "Let There Be Rock." They then played two Police songs with drummer Stewart Copeland, followed by Rush's Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson joining Grohl for renditions of "2112: I. Overture" and "Working Man."
The final guest performances came from Queen's Brian May and Roger Taylor, who joined the Foo Fighters for "We Will Rock You," "Somebody to Love," "I'm In Love with My Car" and "Under Pressure." May also played a solo rendition of the Queen song "Love of My Life."
During a greatest hits performance of Foo Fighters songs, beginning with "Times Like These," Grohl was overcome with emotion and had to step away from the mic for a moment to gather himself.
The band jammed through songs including "Learn to Fly," "The Pretender" and "Best of You" with guest drummers including Blink-182's Travis Barker, Bowie drummer Omar Hakim, Roger Taylor's son Rufus, viral kid drummer Nandi Bushell and session drummer Josh Freese.
The Foo Fighters' hit parade was briefly interrupted when Paul McCartney made a surprise appearance with The Pretenders' Chrissie Hynde to perform a duet version of The Beatles classic, "Oh! Darling," and then, without Hynde, "Helter Skelter."
CBS will air a one-hour special version of the concert Saturday at 10 p.m. ET. A two-hour special will air on MTV later in September.
Proceeds from the Wembley concert will be donated to Music Support and MusiCares. The second tribute show will take place Sept. 27 in Los Angeles.
