The Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert is a worthy, equally teary-eyed and raw-throated dedication to the Foo Fighters drummer, who died suddenly in March 2022.
On September 3rd, all seven-plus hours of The Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert streamed live on Paramount+, and featured Dave Grohl and Foo Fighters performing with rock music luminaries including Paul McCartney, Liam Gallagher, Chrissie Hynde, Nile Rodgers, and members of Rush, Queen, The Police, and James Gang. Highlights from that epic night are included in this brief but powerful celebration of the Foo Fighters drummer, who died last March.
Opening Shot: Jason Sudekis, who’s currently filming season three of Ted Lasso, returns to London’s Wembley Stadium, one of the hit show’s former shooting locations. “As a member of Foo Fighters,” Sudekis says, “Taylor Hawkins was a Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famer, a 15-time Grammy winner, and most importantly, a badass musician who went on to become one of rock ‘n’ roll’s greatest drummers. Taylor’s energy and spirit will live on through his music, his fans, his friends, and his family. ‘The Hawk’ will fly on forever.”
The Gist: Foo Fighters were in the midst of a South American tour when Hawkins died in Bogota, Colombia at the age of 50. The concert scheduled for that night became a vigil, the rest of the tour was soon canceled, and for a while it felt like the band itself wouldn’t survive the shock of losing the guy whose irrepressible energy in many ways defined the Foos. But grief is a process, and rock ‘n’ roll has the visceral power to heal. By June, two tribute concerts to Hawkins had been announced: one in Los Angeles, set for September 27th, and this one, which transformed Wembley into a wake for the fallen musician that was as poignant as it was raucous. The Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert is a tightly edited abbreviation of the rangy, seven-hour celebration of Hawkins’ life and work that the event became, but it captures its spirit, and includes performances from many of the heaviest hitters who came out to pay – and play – their respects.
There’s a request line from beyond thing happening with the lineup, since so many of those performing were favorites of Hawkins as well as his friends. Legendary producer and guitarist Nile Rodgers, original David Bowie drummer Omar Hakim, and Queens of the Stone Age vocalist Josh Homme kick things off with a swaggering version of “Let’s Dance,” and after a brief introduction from Dave Grohl, who functions throughout as master of ceremonies, overqualified sideman, leader of his own band, and mourner-in-chief, Wolfgang Van Halen joins Darkness vocalist Justin Hawkins for Van Halen’s “Hot For Teacher” with Grohl on bass.
