Foo Fighters announce tribute concerts to honor late bandmate Taylor Hawkins
Foo Fighters announced Wednesday that it will be hosting two concerts this September to honor late bandmate Taylor Hawkins, who died on March 25 at age 50. The two concerts — one in London and one in Los Angeles — will feature the drummer's family, the other members of the band, and a yet-unannounced group of musicians that Hawkins "idolized," the band said.
The first concert will be held on September 3 at London's Wembley Stadium, and the second will be on September 27 at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles. The band said ticket information and more lineup details will be available soon.
Hawkins joined the band in 1997, making his recorded debut on the band's 1999 "There Is Nothing Left To Lose," Foo Fighters said in a statement announcing the concerts. He was a multiple-time Grammy winner and a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
"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," the band said. "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 band added.
Hawkins' wife also released a statement on Wednesday, thanking fans for "the outpouring of love each and every one of you have shown our beloved Taylor."
"As Taylor's wife, and on behalf of our children, I want to share how much you meant to him and how dedicated he was to "knocking your socks off" during every performance," she wrote in a post on his Twitter account. "Taylor was honored to be a part of the Foo Fighters and valued his dream role in the band every minute of his 25 years with them. We consider every band member and the extended Foo Fighters team our family."
Hawkins was found dead in his hotel room in March in Bogotá, Colombia, shortly before the band was slated to perform in the city. A cause of death has not been released, but Colombia's attorney general said he had 10 different substances in his system at the time of his death, including marijuana, opioids, tricyclic antidepressants and benzodiazepines.
In the days after his death, the band canceled all of its upcoming tour dates "in light of the staggering loss of our brother."
