Foo Fighters and Taylor Hawkins’ family have announced the first round of performers for the Taylor Hawkins tribute concerts scheduled to take place in London and Los Angeles in September.
Performers include a mix of the late drummer’s friends and influences: Queen’s Brian May and Roger Taylor, Rush’s Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme, Mark Ronson, the Police’s Stewart Copeland, Wolfgang Van Halen, Jane’s Addiction’s Chris Chaney, veteran jazz/rock drummer Omar Hakim, Queen touring member Rufus Taylor and Hawkins’ cover band Chevy metal will play at both shows.
Pretenders frontwoman Chrissie Hynde, Oasis’ Liam Gallagher and Supergrass are on the bill for London only, with comedian Dave Chappelle billed as a special guest.
Miley Cyrus, Joan Jett, Alanis Morissette, Kiss’ Gene Simmons, Motley Crue’s Nikki Sixx, the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith, Struts singer Luke Spiller, Queens of the Stone Age drummer Jon Theodore, Weezer drummer Pat Wilson and Rage Against the Machine drummer Brad Wilk will perform at the Los Angeles show.
While all of the artists have a connection to Hawkins, he was Morissette’s drummer before he joined the Foo Fighters in 1997, and Smith and Copeland were among his many close friends.
According to the announcement, the artists will be “playing the songs that Taylor loved and created, with and alongside his Foo Fighters brothers Dave Grohl, Nate Mendel, Chris Shiflett, Pat Smear and Rami Jaffee.”
Even more artists will be announced at a later date.
The shows will benefit charities to be announced later, according to the band.
Los Angeles! Please welcome the first wave of special guests to join The Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concerts! More to be announced soon.
Tickets on sale Friday, June 17 at 9am local time. pic.twitter/FW4RUmX32Q
— Foo Fighters (@foofighters) June 15, 2022
London! Please welcome the first wave of special guests to join The Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concerts! More to be announced soon.
Tickets on sale Friday 17 June at 9am local time. pic.twitter/6vsdo2n5js
— Foo Fighters (@foofighters) June 15, 2022
Hawkins died on March 25 while the band was on tour in Colombia; no official cause of death has been announced.
The band’s announcement follows in full below, as does Alison Hawkins’ statement.
FOO FIGHTERS
Together with the Hawkins Family
Present
THE TAYLOR HAWKINS TRIBUTE CONCERTS
Two Global Events Celebrating the Memory & Music of a Rock Legend
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.
As one of the most respected and beloved figures in modern music, Taylor’s monolithic talent and magnetic personality endeared him to millions of fans, peers, friends and fellow musical legends the world over. Millions mourned his untimely passing on March 25, with passionate and sincere tributes coming from fans as well as musicians Taylor idolized. The Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concerts will unite several of those artists, the Hawkins family and of course his Foo Fighters brothers in celebration of Taylor’s memory and his legacy as a global rock icon—his bandmates and his inspirations playing the songs that he fell in love with, and the ones he brought to life.
The all-star rock and roll shows will take place September 3 at London’s Wembley Stadium and September 27 at The Kia Forum in Los Angeles.
The lineups for each show will be announced shortly. Sign up to receive information on timings, ticketing links and on sale dates at https://www.foofighters/.
Taylor Hawkins joined Foo Fighters in 1997, first appearing with the band on the tour supporting sophomore album The Colour & The Shape. He made his recorded debut with Foo Fighters with 1999’s There Is Nothing Left To Lose, playing on every subsequent FF album, including One By One, In Your Honor (the first FF album to feature him assuming lead vocal duties on his song “Cold Day In The Sun”), Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, Wasting Light, Sonic Highways, Concrete & Gold (also featuring him as lead singer on “Sunday Rain”) and Medicine at Midnight. As a member of Foo Fighters, Taylor was a 15-time GRAMMY Award winner and member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. He lived and loved music to an insatiable degree, with Foo Fighters as well as his numerous solo and side projects and collaborations.
