"There Goes My Heroes" - Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert, London

“I know that might seem like the perfect way to end this show," said Dave Grohl, looking haggard but happy after doing duty on guitar, drums, or bass for nearly every performance over the past few hours at Wembley Stadium.

He shook his head, as a faint faux boo crept through the crowd of 80,000 dearly beloved.

"Any other rock 'n roll show, that would be the perfect ending, but…we're not done yet."

It's not a dream, nor the global live-stream, but right there in front of me. This was my first time seeing Foo Fighters live yet it’s also a stadium-sized wake worthy of Wembley and its grand stands.

It doesn’t happen often, but a Foos show will occasionally feature the finest of guest stars on vocals or guitar (some of them even appear from the crowd).

For this show, however, a small army of drumming deities and famous musicians young and old had been stepping on stage all afternoon, and in combinations not often seen in the wild by a music fan. The sheer scale of talent performing together in one place for so many songs occasionally belied the bittersweet truth of today:

All these people were here to pay tribute to the band’s drummer Taylor Hawkins, who had passed away six months ago.

This was more than just a Foos gig. These musicians were all mourners too, finding some healing through today’s hymn sheet of song after song of ‘What Taylor would have wanted and obviously geeked out about”.

It was the most crucial layer through which my brain should process the prior performance.

Moments ago, on that very stage, singer Brian Johnson from AC/DC had shrieked through a rip-roaring rendition of his own band’s biggest hit ‘Back in Black’, with Lars Ulrich from Metallica on drums. Of course, it was a rollercoaster ride I’d gladly board again, whether I still had functioning vocal cords or not. But reality resurfaced, reminding me that tonight was ‘In Your Honor’ but the man being honoured was…

What must I do with this flood of facts and feelings for the next two and a half hours?

With another “please welcome to the stage,” the dream seemed to continue, a cathartic swirl of grief and gratitude.

Easy for you to say/Your heart has never been broken

Through a sequence of missed opportunities and strange luck, I managed to be a fan of Foo Fighters for at least two decades but never saw them live until Taylor’s tribute concert in London.

They passed my shores in South Africa just three months after I emigrated, so I can’t play the ‘It’s not a world tour if you don’t come to Africa’ card with these guys. Now living in London meant my ship came in during 2022: I had standing tickets for their June show at London Stadium in Stratford, across town from Wembley. But one of these days the clocks could stop, and time won’t mean a thing.

Taylor’s sudden passing one year ago today was a gut punch for all Foos fans. I was still reeling from the shock of the news felt around the world for the blonde beatmaker, and then Spring 2022 dealt me a second one. A few days later, my octogenarian grandfather would pass after a four-decade battle with skin cancer.

There goes my gig.
There goes my hero.
Heroes.

The loss of two significant public and personal figures in my life so close together heightened my initial grief, which was already anticipating some form of sad news soon on the personal front. Even by itself, the loss of Taylor, who had a prominent role in one of my favourite active bands, would surely have been a source of sustained shock and sorrow for me, especially given the untimely nature of his passing at 50 years old.

This time and with this celebrity, the stakes were more personalised. There were practical points for me to ponder: the cancelled tour, the change in plans, the lost opportunity, the door forever shut to the core line-up of the band which Taylor represented for 25 years. Was this the end of Foo Fighters forever?

It certainly started to feel real when the refunds came through.

Several weeks later the tribute shows materialised in the entertainment news and in my inbox. There’s only two in the world and one of them is London?!? Previous ticket holders for the June show would also get access to presale. Unreal.

Easy for you to say that I’d make it through the gauntlet of gig-ticket gathering in the 2020s though, let alone purchase the prized passes. Yet we emerged on the other side, wallets unbroken from the likes of touts or dynamic pricing, with tickets to Taylor in hand.

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I'm a brand new sky to hang the stars upon tonight

It’s all fun and games until a Beatle shows up, and by surprise.

Despite the fact that the line-up – sans Paul McCartney – was announced well beforehand, the lottery of live music conjured up by their combinations meant never knowing exactly when Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme would be appearing on the bill, and that your first time ever hearing him live could end up being a croonful cover of David Bowie’s ‘Let’s Dance’ with Nile Rodgers from Chic.

The Foos-Hawkins family made sure to keep things moving while keeping it fun. Mark Ronson provided a soothing DJ set before the concert proper, but once the first twinkly chords of Taylor's favourite Foo Fighters song 'Aurora' began to soundtrack an opening video montage, there were bound to be many misty-eyed moments throughout the late-summer afternoon.

The six-hour symphony featured tribute performances packed full of not just Taylor’s heroes and biggest influences, but also from his solo and side project bands outside of Foo Fighters, like The Coattail Riders and Chevy Metal. Waves of two to three songs would be interspersed with video tributes from the likes of Chad Smith from Red Hot Chili Peppers and Billie Eilish, sharing stories of Taylor's generosity with rookie drummers or how people would immediately feel at ease around him.

Before the concert, I had never fully appreciated Taylor’s music career outside of the main gig, nor had I listened to all his solo stuff.

In recent years, projects like his drumming masterclass with the BBC had given fans like myself a glimpse into the world of an unashamed geek for the greats; the kind of guy who, I’m sure, would relish the idea of having all the people he loves and admires in one place. But I’d imagine many in the crowd, including me, saw the band as a collective unit; at least when we first bought tickets to the latest lost Foo Fighters tour.

Taylor still managed to stand out in the Foos, despite being in a band with one of the biggest personalities in rock 'n roll who also happened to be the drummer in Nirvana. As a fan and drummer myself, you had to feel for the guy doing what must’ve been an imposing, unenviable task at times.

Over his years behind the kit, Taylor managed to be a hero to many while still seeing himself as ordinary. “A tornado of hyperactive joy”, as Dave described him in the bandleader’s memoir, their brotherly banter formed a wacky double act that would often lead him out front to belt out a Queen staple, as if his biggest drumming influence Roger Taylor had taken the mic from Freddie Mercury.

Their “musical twin-flame” was a key relationship in Foo Fighters, so seeing Dave share the Wembley stage with Taylor’s 16-year-old son Shane was a hero-making moment amongst many major performances on that September day.

As great as it was to see grizzled veterans delivering another reason why they’ve earned their place in the pantheon of rock royalty, I found hope in seeing a new day rising with the next generation.

Along with Shane, there were multiple rock star children stepping out in confidence on that stage, including Violet Grohl, Wolfgang Van Halen (son of the late Eddie), Rufus Taylor (son of the aforementioned Roger), and Nandi Bushell (the South African-British teen sensation who first challenged Dave online to a drum battle and now look where she is). There will hopefully be times like these time and time again.

Hell yeah, I remember Wembley.
We spun the sun around.
And the stars all came out.

Rest in percussion, Taylor.

Watch the full tribute concert here on Amazon Prime

(paid subscription may be required)

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