In March, Taylor Hawkins, drummer for the cult band Foo Fighters, is found dead in a hotel room. Shock and sadness run deep. After months of silence, the band returns to the stage with a huge memorial concert - but the star of the evening is not Dave Grohl.
A performance by drummer Taylor Hawkins' 16-year-old son at a tribute concert by US rock band Foo Fighters caused euphoria among fans. At the six-hour show at London's Wembley Stadium, the teenager took the seat reserved for his father before his sudden death in March and performed the song "My Hero." 75,000 people in the audience - and countless other viewers on the streaming service Paramount and on YouTube were enthusiastic.
Shane Hawkins "put on a cathartic performance with anger, sadness and ambition in arms and legs that left even the old hands speechless," wrote the industry journal Rolling Stone about the youngster's appearance. A video of Hawkins on drums was also enthusiastically commented on Twitter. "Damn I'm crying!" wrote one fan. Another commented, "Taylor will be looking down at him, smiling, nodding and knowing he raised a great kid."
In addition to the Foo Fighters around frontman Dave Grohl, who broke his voice during the performance of "Times Like These", numerous other rock greats were present at the concert - including Stewart Copeland, Roger Taylor, Travis Barker, Omar Hakim and "Oasis" singers Liam Gallagher. On September 27th there will be another concert in memory of the late Hawkins in Los Angeles.
Taylor Hawkins was found dead on March 25 at the Hotel Four Seasons in Bogotá. Shortly thereafter, the Colombian police went public with details of a toxicological investigation. This "tentatively revealed ten different types of substances," including THC - which is found in marijuana, tricyclic antidepressants, benzodiazepines and opioids. They did not say whether the drugs led to the musician's death.
After the death of their drummer, the US rock band not only canceled a planned appearance at this year's Grammy Awards, but also prematurely ended their big concert tour. The Foo Fighters had originally planned over 50 appearances in the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Europe by the end of the year.
