[UPDATE]: Foo Fighters have revealed the extensive lineups of special guests for the pair of Taylor Hawkins tribute concerts in September. Organized by the late drummer’s family and former bandmates, the shows will occur on September 3rd at London, U.K.’s Wembley Stadium and the 27th at Los Angeles, CA’s Kia Forum.
The September 3rd show in London will feature surviving Foo Fighters Dave Grohl, Nate Mendel, Chris Shiflett, Pat Smear, and Rami Jaffee joined by Chris Chaney, Stewart Copeland, Liam Gallagher, Omar Hakim, Joshua Homme, Chrissie Hynde, Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Brian May, Mark Ronson, Supergrass, Roger Taylor, Rufus Taylor, Wolfgang Van Halen, and Hawkins’ old covers band Chevy Metal. Dave Chappelle will also make an appearance, in addition to more guests to be announced.
Later that month on the 27th in Los Angeles, Foo Fighters will welcome Chris Chaney, Stewart Copeland, Miley Cyrus, Omar Hakim, Joshua Homme, Joan Jett, Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Brian May, Mark Ronson, Alanis Morissette, Gene Simmons, Nikki Sixx, Chad Smith, Luke Spiller, Roger Taylor, Rufus Taylor, Jon Theodore, Wolfgang Van Halen, Brad Wilk, Pat Wilson, and Chevy Metal, with more to be announced.
Tickets for both the London and Los Angeles Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concerts go on sale to the general public on Friday, June 17th at 9 a.m. local time. Pre-sales begin on Thursday at 9 a.m. local time and are accessible using a code emailed to Foo Fighters’ email subscribers. The shows will benefit charities in the U.S. and U.K. chosen by the Hawkins family. Beneficiaries and further details will be announced shortly.
[6/8/22]: Foo Fighters and the family of late drummer Taylor Hawkins have announced a pair of tribute concerts set to take place on September 3rd and September 27th, 2022 at London, U.K.’s Wembley Stadium and Los Angeles, CA’s Kia Forum, respectively. The announcement of the two concerts honoring the late Foo Fighters drummer mark the first official public correspondence from the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers since they canceled all of their scheduled tour dates in the wake of Taylor’s death in late March.
While the official announcement notably did not explicitly say that Foo Fighters will perform, it did confirm that surviving band members 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.”
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The remainder of the lineup for the concerts has yet to be revealed, but the band and the Hawkins family did confirm that the “all-star rock and roll shows” will unite “his bandmates and his inspirations playing the songs that he fell in love with, and the ones he brought to life.” The initial announcement noted that the lineup will include several of the iconic artists who paid tribute to Taylor following his sudden passing at the age of 50. That list featured a who’s who of global rock legends from Paul McCartney (The Beatles) to Lars Ulrich (Metallica) to Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam) to Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers) and beyond, leaving the door open for a slew of high-profile stars to appear at the two tribute shows.
Along with the announcement, Foo Fighters shared a statement from Taylor’s widow, Alison Hawkins, and her family. Click below to read the full note.
Taylor’s extended musical family has been helping Alison and the Hawkins/Foo Fighters family grieve in various ways in the wake of his shocking death. After the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival announced that Red Hot Chili Peppers would take over Foo Fighters’ vacated headlining slot this past spring, RHCP drummer Chad Smith, a longtime friend of Taylor’s, told Billboard that Alison Hawkins would join the band in New Orleans as an honored guest.
“We’re taking Alison, his wife, with us and it’s going to be a celebration,” Smith said. “That’s what she wants. She doesn’t want it to be anything other than, ‘Let’s celebrate music, let’s celebrate our friends, let’s celebrate Taylor. This is what he would want and he would be very happy that you guys are playing and he would want it be nothing but a positive experience.’ So we’re going to do all that and she’s going to be part of that and I’m very honored that we can do that with her. … We’re going to play our hearts out.”
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When RHCP took the main Festival Stage on the first Sunday of Jazz Fest 2022, the resonant head of Chad Smith’s bass drum was emblazoned with the name “Taylor” and an outline of a hawk, making sure that his fallen friend was present in spirit. At the end of the set, Smith took a moment to address the crowd. “Foo Fighters were supposed to play here tonight,” he explained. “We love the Foo Fighters and we love our brother Taylor Hawkins, so this means a lot to us to play for them, the guys in the band are here. They’re supporting. Taylor’s wife, Alison, is here, their family. It’s a beautiful thing… We love them. We love Taylor. So, on three I wanna hear everybody, ‘We love Taylor!’” The audience repeated the incantation with genuine emotion. Watch the video and check out photos of the performance here.
Tickets for the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concerts in London (September 3rd) and Los Angeles (September 27th) go on sale on Friday, June 17th. Full artist lineups will be announced soon. To sign up for updates and receive information about on-sale times and ticketing information, click here.
