Concert Review – Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert

Written by Jim S.

My son – who was a baby when Kurt Cobain offed himself – grew to be a major league Nirvana fan. That fandom transferred over to the Foo Fighters. And so naturally he was heartbroken when drummer Taylor Hawkins died this year. The guy was such an enthusiastic out front person that even I knew who he was and I’m more a casual listener to the band.

When my son found out there were going to be two tribute concerts to Hawkins, one yesterday at Wembley, one next week in LA, he seriously considered going to either venue to see it live. It was right down to the wire with, apparently, some tickets opening up yesterday. But alas, he can now join the rest of us who have a long list of “Boy I wish I had gone to that show” regrets.

So he called me up and said, Hey, the Foos concert is going to be streaming on YouTube at 11:30 EDT Saturday, Sept. 3. If you’re not doing anything we’d like to watch it on something other than my laptop. Sure, sez I. We have a 4k TV in the basement which includes a “home theater” of a hastily installed Sony Soundbar and woofer.

Like I said, I’m not a big Foo fan but they do have a handful of songs I like so I figured, sure, what’s a couple hours? Well, to all our surprise, the show went on for six hours. (Wembley curfew is 10:30 London time). And what a show it was! I wandered in and out of the room on occasion but I caught most of it.

There were so many guests that they didn’t get to an actual Foo song for about 4 hours or so. To quote Consequence of Sound, “As Dave Grohl promised at the beginning of the show, it was “a gigantic fucking night for a gigantic fucking person.”

In fact, by the time the concert was all said and done, it spanned nearly six hours and featured a setlist of 50 songs.” (It turns out that a lot of people have “fucking’ as their middle name – Taylor Fucking Hawkins, Stewart Fucking Copeland, John Fucking Paul Jones, etc.)

It turns out the Foos (and Taylor) know EVERYBODY. At one point Grohl said that if they just invited all of Taylor’s musician friends that would be over 100. (Interestingly, he played for Alanis Morissette for several years but she didn’t appear. LA show?) Interestingly, Hawkin’s bass drum had a picture of Olivia Newton-John of whom he was apparently a big fan since he was a kid.

So I guess I’m sad for my son that he couldn’t go. But then again if he had I might never have streamed this show. And what a show it was! It was, by and large, a hard-rockin’ show that reaffirmed my faith in the power of rock and roll. It showed not only that it is NOT dead but also that the Foos have managed to be a bridge between classic rock (James Gang returns!) and current rock. Granted, the average age on that stage was probably 50+. But it sure didn’t sound like it

Just about every band was super tight and we found ourselves wondering how the hell they could all have rehearsed with each other. Best guesses are they got together in various ensembles a few days prior or that they all just learned their parts individually from the records. Either way, great stuff. Some highlights:

Intro and Liam Gallagher

Brian Johnson and Lars Ulrich

Rush

Shane Hawkins

Dave Grohl

You can find other snippets up on YouTube but I couldn’t find the entire show. So if it’s up there, highly recommend you watch it. My son (and his girlfriend) pronounced it ‘sick’ and that is their highest possible praise.

Setlist below:

  • Liam Gallagher with Foo Fighters – Rock ‘N’ Roll Star
  • Liam Gallagher with Foo Fighters – Live Forever
  • Josh Homme, Chris Chaney, Omar Hakim, and Nile Rodgers – Let’s Dance (David Bowie)
  • Gaz Coombes, Chris Chaney, Omar Hakim, and Nile Rodgers – Modern Love (David Bowie)
  • Chevy Metal and The Coattail Riders – Psycho Killer (Talking Heads)
  • Kesha, Chevy Metal, and The Coattail Riders – Children of the Revolution (T-Rex)
  • The Coattail Riders with Justin Hawkins – Louise
  • The Coattail Riders with Justin Hawkins – Range Rover Bitch
  • The Coattail Riders with Justin Hawkins – It’s Over
  • Dave Grohl, Wolfgang Van Halen, Justin Hawkins, and Josh Freese – On Fire (Van Halen)
  • Dave Grohl, Wolfgang Van Halen, Justin Hawkins, and Josh Freese – Hot for Teacher (Van Halen)
  • Violet Grohl, Greg Kurstin, Alain Johannes, Chris Chaney, Jason Falkner, and Dave Grohl – Last Goodbye (Jeff Buckley)
  • Violet Grohl, Greg Kurstin, Alain Johannes, Chris Chaney, Jason Falkner, and Dave Grohl – Grace (Jeff Buckley)
  • Supergrass – Going Out
  • Supergrass – Alright
  • Supergrass – Caught by the Fuzz
  • Them Crooked Vultures – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (Elton John)
  • Them Crooked Vultures – Gunman
  • Them Crooked Vultures – Long Slow Goodbye (Queens of the Stone Age)
  • Pretenders with Dave Grohl – Precious
  • Pretenders with Dave Grohl – Tattooed Love Boys
  • Pretenders with Dave Grohl – Brass in Pocket
  • James Gang – Walk Away
  • James Gang – The Bomber: Closet Queen / Bolero / Cast Your Fate to the Wind
  • James Gang with Dave Grohl – Funk #49
  • Violet Grohl, Mark Ronson, Chris Chaney, and Jason Falkner – Valerie (Amy Winehouse)
  • Brian Johnson, Lars Ulrich, and Foo Fighters – Back in Black (AC/DC)
  • Brian Johnson, Lars Ulrich, and Foo Fighters – Let There Be Rock (AC/DC)
  • Stewart Copeland with Foo Fighters – Next to You (The Police)
  • Stewart Copeland, Gaz Coombes, and Foo Fighters – Every Little Thing She Does is Magic (The Police)
  • Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Dave Grohl – 2112 Part I: Overture (RUSH)
  • Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Dave Grohl – Working Man (RUSH)
  • Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Omar Hakim – YYZ (RUSH)
  • Brian May, Roger Taylor, Foo Fighters, Rufus Taylor, and Luke Spiller – We Will Rock You (Queen)
  • Brian May, Roger Taylor, Foo Fighters, Justin Hawkins, and Rufus Taylor – I’m in Love With My Car (Queen)
  • Brian May, Roger Taylor, Foo Fighters, Sam Ryder, and Rufus Taylor – Somebody to Love (Queen)
  • Brian May – Love of My Life (Queen)
  • Foo Fighters with Josh Freese – Times Like These
  • Foo Fighters with Josh Freese – All My Life
  • Foo Fighters with Travis Barker – The Pretender
  • Foo Fighters with Travis Barker – Monkey Wrench
  • Foo Fighters with Nandi Bushell – Learn to Fly
  • Foo Fighters with Rufus Taylor – These Days
  • Foo Fighters with Rufus Taylor – Best of You
  • Paul McCartney, Chrissie Hynde, Foo Fighters, and Omar Hakim – Oh! Darling (The Beatles)
  • Paul McCartney, Foo Fighters, and Omar Hakim – Helter Skelter (The Beatles)
  • Foo Fighters with Omar Hakim – Aurora
  • Foo Fighters with Shane Hawkins – My Hero
  • Dave Grohl – Everlong

I have no idea if they plan on live streaming the Foos’ next tribute but as to this one yesterday.

“If you can’t catch the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert live, Paramount+ will also stream it on demand globally afterward on September 3rd. Pluto TV and MTV TV VOD will also stream it on demand beginning the week of September 5th.”

27 thoughts on “Concert Review – Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert”

    2. BTW – If you can’t catch the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert live, Paramount+ will also stream it on demand globally afterward on September 3rd. Pluto TV and MTV TV VOD will also stream it on demand beginning the week of September 5th.”

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      1. None of those streamers are available in Canada, but I’m sure that someone will pick it up. I’ve been watching the YouTube clips. I wonder if Alanis will be in LA, and also Sass Jordan, who’s band Taylor was in before Alanis.

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        1. We wondered about Alanis too. I notice she’s got a tour upcoming soon. I’d be damned surprised if she didn’t show up. Fun fact I forgot to mention. His drum kit had a picture of Olivia Newton-John. Big fan ever since he was a kid apparently.

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  2. Wow, that looks like one hell of a rock & roll show! I completed missed it, though I saw something on Twitter early this morning about Paul McCartney performing “Oh Darling” for the first time live at that concert.

    I guess similarly to you, I don’t know much about Foo Fighters. I’ve heard a few of their songs, or is it “fucking” songs? I think Dave Grohl’s a cool dude, even though when every third word is “fucking”, it somewhat loses its impact!

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    1. I actually once did a Foos six-pack and it turns out that, based on yesterday, I knew more their songs than I realized. The ones I like I really like but I find that too many of their songs fall into a generic “rock’ category. They are totally different and a lot less ‘punky’ than Nirvana.

      Yes Sir Paul did “Oh Darling’ with Chrissie Hynde. You can find it online but alas, his voice was just not up to it. (Chrissie sounded great.) They also did “Helter Skelter” appropriately enough as it’s just about the heaviest tune the Fab Four ever did. I had guessed McCartney might show because if you watch the Foos’ documentary ‘Sound City’ he’s in there.

      Yeah the ‘f’ word was way overused. I’m no stranger to the word but it is a major part of Grohl’s vocabulary.

      I have no idea if they plan on live streaming the Foos’ next tribute but as to this one yesterday.

      “If you can’t catch the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert live, Paramount+ will also stream it on demand globally afterwards on September 3rd. Pluto TV and MTV TV VOD will also stream it on demand beginning the week of September 5th.”

      Liked by 1 person

  3. Long been a Foos fan and was lucky to have seen them on a couple of occasions. I caught this live too, I started with it on my phone and quickly switched it to the TV in the lounge and me and the cub spent most of the day with it – though he was off to the land of nod before the final element.
    I think as a lot of the lineup (plus Alanis and others) will also be joining in the LA show there’s probably been a lot of rehearsal and I think it made for a bloody entertaining tribute even with the looser elements.
    While the question as to if / how the Foo Fighters will continue hasn’t quite been answered it was great to see them playing again though the naked emotion and sense of catharsis that came from their set was staggering.
    A lot of conversation has been about Rufus Taylor being the logical choice but – as bloody fine a job as he did, I don’t see it: he’s got a solid kick and I’m not sure that the fact that he looks so bloody similar would stand well in his stead.

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    1. My son saw the Broken Leg tour. As mentioned, he strongly considered going over to Old Blighty just for this show (side trip to Abbey Road) but it just didn’t work out. There are 90,000 seats at Wembley? Did you not consider going, mate?

      Yeah, it was a great show. You would have expected much of it to sound like Macca’s voice on “Oh, Darling” but they all sounded pretty tight. At one point I wandered upstairs and my son texted to tell me Them Crooked Vultures were on. John Fucking Paul Jones! And if Alanis doesn’t show up, we’ll, I’ll be dragging my nails down someone else’s back.

      My son has been convinced that Taylor was the Bonzo of this group and they won’t continue. But Shane is 16, finishes high school in two years. Hmmm.

      Anyway, great show and leave it to Mumbling Fucking About and Music Fucking Enthusiast to be all over it.

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      1. Yeah I see that, though Hawkins wasn’t the original drummer. I’d hazard a bet that Grohl will take drum duties in the studio and they’ll add a new drummer as a touring member only that way there’s no ‘taking Taylor’s place in the band’ question and they don’t have to stick with any one in particular.
        I didn’t particularly fancy it in person, even if tickets were easy to come by. I’d been to the old Wembley and at that size and likely distance from the stage I got a better show from the comfort of my couch

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      2. As for ‘leave it to Mumbling Fucking About and Music Fucking Enthusiast to be all over it’…. we really should be granted press tickets and backstage access for this sort of thing if nobody else is keeping on top of it

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      3. On a different tangent: is there a book running on what date Trump will be arrested following the FBI’s raid and discovery?

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        1. Complicated question. Firstly, if the Department of Justice does anything, it will be after the November mid-terms. Secondly, if you or I had done this, we would long since have been in jail. My understanding of the whole thing is that if the DOJ indicts, then – like any prosecutor – it has to be sure it thinks it can meet the judicial (not public opinion) threshold – can they prove (within a reasonable doubt) criminal intent on Trump’s part? Can they draw that direct line or can he credibly say, ‘My underlings did all this?”

          DOJ also has to sure (since they have one shot) that they can meet that standard AND find a jury who would judge Orange Slug Trail fairly. (I would be disqualified as I think he should be treated like Mussolini, only worse.)

          As to the “optics’ of it, I think we have too much reverence for the presidency so the idea of indicting or imprisoning one is unfathomable to many people no matter how big a lying traitorous scumbag he might be.

          Lastly, Gerald Ford pardoned Richard Nixon “for the good of the country.” Indicting and possibly imprisoning Schlump will irritate the MAGA maggots and make our hopelessly divided country even more hopelessly divided. (Dem Vs. Republican, urban vs. rural and of course, North vs. South).

          So if I were to place money on it I’d bet that they DO indict Trump but he somehow pleads down to “you can never run again” but escapes jail time. Then he can continue to be a victimized martyr and host things like the LIV/Saudi Arabia bloodbath golf tours .

          So, put it al

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        2. And so what is our opinion of Ms.Truss, a name completely unknown to us over here? And can she save you all from freezing to death on the dark this winter? I certainly hope so as I would miss your blog.

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        3. I’ve been detached from the news here for some time, it’s done wonders for me so Ive paid no attention to what’s essentially a popularity contest amongst snakes. I keep up with the Trump stuff but that’s about it news wise.

          As for Truss… she was once Remain but then followed the party line of ‘Brexit is the will of the people’ because she’s a Tory and they’re all a bunch of nasty bastards whether they’re coated with Johnson flavour, Sunak or Truss flavour and any of them that wants to lead a bunch of bastards has got to be a massive c**t so I don’t expect anything other than contemptible bastardry from any of them. In much the same way that the Republican Party over your side of the puddle seems to be in completion with itself to become as far right as possible, I’ve never known such an openly hateful, self-serving bunch of politicians to be in power for some time (Johnson, Patel, Rees-Mogg to name but a few).
          It’s an appalling system that allows her to become a PM without public vote though, with any luck, she’ll feel so overly confident that she’ll call for a general election sooner rather than later and we can be shod of the lot of em or I’ll start looking for property abroad.

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        5. Ah yes, the keen fisherman formally known as CB.
          We’ve discussed the Great White North as a destination on a few occasions, the language mix is right though I think if we make the hike anywhere it’ll need better weather – just so there’s less of a heating bill.

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  4. I watched it all. I cried. I loved it! Although I would have been perfectly happy just watching the last 2 hours. Also, I believe the LA show will be handled the same as London and yes, Alanis is scheduled to be there. They have released the guest appearances.

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