The first of two tribute concerts for late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins took place over the weekend, with his surviving bandmates, Liam Gallagher, Queen, Travis Barker and Rush among the plethora of artists performing.
At its opening on Saturday September 3, the event was promised by Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl to be “a gigantic fucking night for a gigantic fucking person” – spanning nearly six hours with a set list of 50 songs. Find the full setlist below.
Foo Fighters also notably performed for the first time since Hawkins’ untimely passing back in March.
Kicking off proceedings, Grohl and the surviving members of Foo Fighters had their arms around one another for an emotional moment. “Ladies and gentlemen,” Grohl began, “tonight we’ve gathered here to celebrate the life, the music and the love of our dear friend, our bandmate, our brother, Taylor Hawkins.”
Later, Dave Chappelle recalled spending time with Hawkins and his son Shane, calling the late musician “a legend of a man”.
Liam Gallagher kicked off the night’s musical offerings, performing two classic Oasis songs with members of Foo Fighters, while Red Hot Chili Peppers‘ Chad Smith shared a touching video story.
Later, Grohl’s teenage daughter, Violet, took to the stage to perform Jeff Buckley covers, accompanied by her father, Queens Of The Stone Age and Them Crooked Vultures’ Alain Johannes and Jane’s Addiction‘s Chris Chaney.
The night saw Them Crooked Vultures reunite for the first time in 12 years, while Supergrass performed three songs for their “huge fan” Hawkins. Metallica‘s Lars Ulrich and AC/DC‘s Brian Johnson joined forces on a pair of AC/DC covers, while Mark Ronson and Violet Grohl covered ‘Valerie’.
Queen’s Brian May and Roger Taylor then joined Foo Fighters for a five-song set, while The Eagles‘ Joe Walsh led a reunited James Gang in their first live performance in 16 years. Calling them the “one band that I always associated Taylor Hawkins with” Grohl joined the surviving members of Rush, Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, on stage to perform a handful of the band’s biggest hits.
The final set of the night saw Paul McCartney, Travis Barker, Nandi Bushell and Hawkins’ son, Shane, Rufus Taylor (son of Roger Taylor), Josh Freese and Devo join Foo Fighters on stage. A “revolving door of drummers” then performed ‘Times Like These’, ‘All My Life’, ‘The Pretender’, ‘Monkey Wrench’, ‘Learn To Fly’, ‘These Days’, ‘Best Of You’, ‘Aurora’ and ‘My Hero’.
The night concluded with Grohl performing one of Foo Fighters’ most famous songs. Before he began, Grohl said: “I hope that you guys felt all the love from all of us and all of the performers, because we felt it from you for Taylor tonight,”
“This one’s for Taylor,” Grohl added before beginning the final song, a solo rendition of the band’s 1997 hit ‘Everlong’.
Among other stars on the line-up paying tribute to Hawkins were Wolfgang Van Halen, The Darkness‘ Justin Hawkins, Kesha, Nile Rodgers, Chevy Metal, and members of Hawkins’ own band The Coattail Riders.
Hawkins, who drummed with Foo Fighters from 1997, died in March 2022, aged 50.
A second tribute show will take place at Los Angeles’ Kia Forum on September 27.
The setlist for the Taylor Hawkins tribute concert is:
Liam Gallagher with Foo Fighters – ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll Star’
Liam Gallagher with Foo Fighters – ‘Live Forever’
Josh Homme, Chris Chaney, Omar Hakim and Nile Rodgers – ‘Let’s Dance’ (David Bowie cover)
Gaz Coombes, Chris Chaney, Omar Hakim and Nile Rodgers – ‘Modern Love’ (David Bowie cover)
Chevy Metal and The Coattail Riders – ‘Psycho Killer’ (Talking Heads cover)
Kesha, Chevy Metal and The Coattail Riders – ‘Children Of The Revolution’ (T-Rex cover)
The Coattail Riders with Justin Hawkins – ‘Louise’
The Coattail Riders with Justin Hawkins – ‘Range Rover Bitch’
The Coattail Riders with Justin Hawkins – ‘It’s Over’
Dave Grohl, Wolfgang Van Halen, Justin Hawkins and Josh Freese – ‘On Fire’ (Van Halen cover)
Dave Grohl, Wolfgang Van Halen, Justin Hawkins and Josh Freese – ‘Hot For Teacher’ (Van Halen cover)
Violet Grohl, Greg Kurstin, Alain Johannes, Chris Chaney, Jason Falkner and Dave Grohl – ‘Last Goodbye’ (Jeff Buckley cover)
Violet Grohl, Greg Kurstin, Alain Johannes, Chris Chaney, Jason Falkner and Dave Grohl – ‘Grace’ (Jeff Buckley cover)
Supergrass – ‘Going Out’
Supergrass – ‘Alright’
Supergrass – ‘Caught By The Fuzz’
Them Crooked Vultures – ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’ (Elton John cover)
Them Crooked Vultures – ‘Gunman’
Them Crooked Vultures – ‘Long Slow Goodbye’ (Queens of the Stone Age cover)
The Pretenders with Dave Grohl – ‘Precious’
The Pretenders with Dave Grohl – ‘Tattooed Love Boys’
The Pretenders with Dave Grohl – ‘Brass In Pocket’
James Gang – ‘Walk Away’
James Gang – ‘The Bomber: Closet Queen / Bolero / Cast Your Fate To The Wind’
James Gang with Dave Grohl – ‘Funk #49’
Violet Grohl, Mark Ronson, Chris Chaney and Jason Falkner – ‘Valerie’ (Amy Winehouse cover)
Brian Johnson, Lars Ulrich and Foo Fighters – ‘Back In Black’ (AC/DC cover)
Brian Johnson, Lars Ulrich and Foo Fighters – ‘Let There Be Rock’ (AC/DC cover)
Stewart Copeland with Foo Fighters – ‘Next To You’ (The Police cover)
Stewart Copeland, Gaz Coombes, and Foo Fighters – ‘Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic’ (The Police cover)