It has been almost three months since the world lost Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, the propulsive force of the rock band for over two decades. In light of his passing, the band canceled all remaining tour dates and took some time to grieve. Since then, two tribute shows were announced to honor Hawkins’ legacy, one in Los Angeles and another in London. Today (Jun. 15), the lineups have been announced. Both shows will showcase Hawkins’ expansive catalog across his nearly 30-year career.
The first tribute show will be scheduled on Sept. 3 at London’s iconic Wembley Stadium. Among the guests set to appear are Oasis’ Liam Gallagher, Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age, Mark Ronson, Geddy Lee and more. Comedian Dave Chappelle will make a special appearance. The comedian hosted the band’s Saturday Night Live in 2020 appearance and surprised fans at the band’s Madison Square Garden gig last summer to cover Radiohead’s “Creep.”
The Los Angeles show, scheduled to take place Sept. 27 at Kia Forum, will have many of the same performers from the London lineup, plus a few extra guests including Miley Cyrus, who collaborated with Hawkins on her latest album Plastic Hearts, Joan Jett, Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and more to be announced.
Chappelle’s inclusion in the London lineup has been divisive. In one of the top replies to the band’s announcement tweet, a concerned London fan named Tom said, “Why ruin the vibe with Dave Chappelle?” Several other fans expressed their disappointment in the replies as well. The comedian stoked controversy in 2021 following his final Netflix special The Closer, which had several jokes aimed at the transgender community. A group of transgender Netflix employees staged a walkout to protest the special and one resigned shortly after. In a Madison Square Garden show a few weeks after the special was released on streaming, Chappelle doubled down on the jokes, one of which included a bit about telling police he identified as female for better prison placement after being arrested for shooting his neighbor who called him a homophobic slur.
Likewise, Josh Homme made headlines in 2021 after his children requested a restraining order against him, citing verbal and physical abuse. Homme denied these allegations and the filing was denied. Dalle later testified against Homme in January, telling the court that her ex-husband had homicidal ideations about her. Homme is no stranger to controversy and has previously assaulted Dwarves frontman Blag Dahlia, an autograph seller and a concert photographer.
Hawkins joined Foo Fighters in 1997, becoming the band’s third longest-running member after frontman Dave Grohl and bassist Nate Mendel. Hawkins was previously touring drummer for Alanis Morissette for her landmark 1995 album Jagged Little Pill. In addition to his side project Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders, the drummer also recorded drums and backing vocals with Coheed and Cambria, Queen’s Brian May, Slash and more. He also formed a supergroup in 2021 called NHC alongside Dave Navarro and Chris Chaney of Jane’s Addiction. The group made their live debut at Eddie Vedder’s Ohana Festival featuring fellow Foos member Pat Smear. The band’s debut is set to be released this year.
The Taylor Hawkins tribute concerts will benefit charities in both the U.K. and the U.S. chosen by the Hawkins family. Beneficiaries and further details will be announced shortly.
Below, revisit a 1995 performance of “This Is A Call” via the Paste archives. Keep scrolling to check out the lineups for both tribute shows and find out more information, including ticket sales, here.
