Pink, Queen and Alanis honour Taylor Hawkins in LA

Image Source: Reuters

Musicians including Pink, Queen and Def Leppard have paid tribute to Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins at a memorial concert in Los Angeles.

They joined the star’s former bandmates in Foo Fighters and Chevy Metal to play the songs he loved, as fans celebrated his memory.

Foos frontman Dave Grohl said the show honoured the fact that “this many people connected through one person”.

Other star guests included Miley Cyrus, Rush, Cars and Mötley Crüe.

Alanis Morissette – for whom Hawkins played the drums before he joined Foo Fighters – gave a fierce performance of You Oughta Know; while comedian Dave Chapelle unexpectedly covered Radiohead’s Creep.

Pink made several appearances during the concert, joining Heart’s Nancy Wilson to duet on Barracuda, before tackling Queen’s Somebody To Love – a song that Hawkins often covered in concert himself – and teaming up with Foo Fighters to sing The Pretender at the show’s finale.

British rock band Def Leppard recalled that they had first encountered Hawkins when he was a “20-year-old kid” working in a guitar shop in LA.

“About five years later we did Top Of The Pops in England [and] this kid walks into the dressing room. He was playing the drums for Alanis Morissette,” recalled singer Joe Elliot.

“That was Taylor Hawkins, so in memory of. Let’s do some proper songs for Taylor.”

The band played Rock Of Ages before being joined briefly by pop star Miley Cyrus for an expansive version of Photograph.

“It’s like a revolving door of rock heroes tonight,” said Grohl halfway through the concert, which also saw performances from Skid Row’s Sebastian Bach, Black Sabbath’s Geezer Butler and Metallica’s Lars Ulrich.

One of the most moving moments came when the surviving members of Nirvana, Grohl and Krist Novoselic, teamed up with fellow grunge musicians Matt Cameron and Kim Thayil of Soundgarden – who lost their lead singer Chris Cornell five years ago.

Together, they played haunting versions of The Day I Tried to Live and Black Hole Sun, with vocals from Taylor Momsen of the Pretty Reckless.

Rush, who is also mourning the loss of their drummer Neil Peart, played Working Man with assistance from Red Hot Chili Pepper Chad Smith and YYZ with Danny Carey of Tool.

And Wolfgang Van Halen delivered flawless renditions of his father’s fretwork on covers of pop-metal classics Panama and Hot For Teacher.

The concert came less than a month after a previous tribute show at Wembley Stadium in London, which saw Foo Fighters joined by Sir Paul McCartney, Liam Gallagher and Supergrass.

As at that concert, Hawkins’ children played a key role, with his teenage son Shane stepping behind the drum kit for a blistering rendition of the Foo Fighters’ hits My Hero and I’ll Stick Around.

Hawkins’ other children Everleigh and Annabel, also appeared on stage with their mother, Alison, after Queen’s Brian May played Love Of My Life – a song that Alison had requested specially.

Earlier, the show had opened with Grohl’s daughter Violet giving a low-key, moving performance of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah.

Six hours later, Foo Fighters closed the show with Everlong.

“This one’s for Taylor,” Grohl told the audience at LA’s Kia Forum. “We love you.”

Hawkins drummed with Foo Fighters from 1997 until his death in March of this year, aged 50.

No cause of death was announced, although a toxicology report showed traces of 10 substances in his body, including opioids, marijuana and anti-depressants.

Investigators did not say whether the mix of drugs was a factor.

Proceeds from both the London and Los Angeles tribute concerts will go to the charities Music Support and MusiCares.

Source: BBC News