A clip of Taylor Hawkins’s son Shane playing the drums at the Wembley tribute concert for his father is currently the number one trending video on YouTube.
In the six-minute clip, 16-year-old Shane performs during the Foo Fighter song My Hero, taking up the spot where his Dad – the band’s drummer – used to sit.
“Shane put a whole lotta heart and a whole lotta soul into that performance. There’s no doubt who his hero is, and he sure as heck heard it!” said one of the video’s comments.
“So much talent, passion and composure for a 16 year old on what must have been such an emotional occasion. Shane did his father proud!” said another.
The clip is incredibly moving: frontman David Grohl checks in with Shane before the song begins, Shane smashes away at the drums, and he kisses the drum kit before his solo while Grohl looks on, supporting him.
When Shane kissed the drumset before his solo… crying real tears. Lots of them. pic.twitter.com/TE0P1kS63T
— Aus10 (@AUS10_tweets) September 4, 2022
It wasn’t the only emotional moment of the night, either. During Grohl’s performance of the song Times Like These, he started crying.
Dave Grohl getting choked up during the opening of “Times Like These” got me sobbing. #taylorhawkinstribute pic.twitter.com/KfXftebeaV
— Courtney Howard (@Lulamaybelle) September 3, 2022
Foo Fighters are holding two tribute concerts in memory of Hawkins. The first was held this Saturday in London while the second will be held at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles on September 27.
Drummers Travis Barker of Blink-182, Lars Ulrich of Metallica and Martin Chambers of The Pretenders played at the star-studded concert at Wembley Stadium this weekend, as did the Foo Fighters, Dave Chapelle and Chris Rock. Barker and Ulrich will also play in Los Angeles later this month.
Chris Chaney, Stewart Copeland, Omar Hakim, Josh Homme, Brian May and Mark Ronson are also all playing at the two “all-star rock and roll shows”.
In mid-August the Foo Fighters shared the news of the comprehensive line-up on Twitter with the release of a poster: Supergrass, Liam Gallagher, Kesha, Grohl’s daughter Violet, Nile Rodgers, Miley Cyrus, Pink and Alanis Morissette were also on the bill for at least one of the shows.
The Wembley concert was live streamed on Paramount+. It is also available globally on Pluto TV and MTV from today.
Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert Updates:
— Foo Fighters (@foofighters) August 17, 2022
How to watch live from @wembleystadium
New artists added to both shows
How to support @Musicsupport_uk and @MusiCares
Read all the info at https://t.co/y2rJaVhr8R pic.twitter.com/kEgHcukv8n
Hawkins died on March 25 aged 50 following a cardiac arrest while in a hotel in Colombia.
The concerts are being held by Foo Fighters and Hawkins’ family, who described the late drummer as a “monolithic talent and magnetic personality” in their original line-up announcement. The profits of the concerts will go to charities chosen by Hawkins’ family.
When Hawkins died, tributes came in thick and fast on Twitter from musicians, artists and celebrities. Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger called the news “incredibly sad”, while former Oasis singer Gallager said he was “absolutely devastated”. The rock band Weezer said “music won’t be the same without him”, and Gene Simmons said “hearts [were] broken all over the world”.
Hawkins joined the American rock band Foo Fighters in 1997. The group had been set up by former Nirvana member Dave Grohl the previous year. As part of Foo Fighters, Hawkins became a 15-time Grammy Award winner, a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and went on to record 10 studio albums.