One of Foo Fighters’ final scheduled performances before Taylor Hawkins’ death was an appearance at Paraguay’s Asunciónico festival. The show would ultimately be canceled due to weather, but Hawkins still managed to make a young fan’s dream come true while in Paraguay.
As ET Canada notes, in the weeks leading up to the festival, 9-year-old drummer Emma Sofía started a social media campaign in an effort to perform with Foo Fighters at the event. While the show was ultimately canceled, Sofía had her parents’ full support, as they brought her to the hotel where the band was staying. There, she set up her drums outside and started playing on the street. A crowd gathered and eventually, Hawkins himself noticed, so he went outside and posed for a photo with Sofía.
Sofía shared the photo on social media, as well as a video recapping the experience, which includes footage of a smiling Hawkins approaching the scene to meet her. She wrote in a post (translated via Google), “It was two months of a lot of work, rehearsals, cover recordings and interviews to try to play with the @foofighters! We tried EVERY means but we couldn’t so after much frustration I took my drums to the hotel sidewalk and played until they heard me and @taylorhawkinsofficial came out. So I was able to conquer my dream. Words are not enough to thank all the people who accompanied me during this campaign and sent me the best energy from all over the world, you gave me the courage to do this!! THANK YOU! My daddy and my mommy told me that THIS IS HOW ROCK IS LIVED!”
A few days later, Hawkins died. After his passing, Sofía wrote on Instagram (translated via Google), “There are no words to describe what we feel. We are devastated to hear of the passing of Taylor Hawkins, our thoughts are with his loved ones and fans. We will remember him for his charisma and the beautiful gesture he had with Emma. Taylor gave us something to believe in. He was, is and always will be an inspiration. There goes our hero. RIP TAYLOR HAWKINS. Emma, dad and mom.”
Speaking of young, Foo Fighters-associated drummers, Nandi Bushell also shared a message about Hawkins after his passing, tweeting, “Our love, thoughts and support are with all who knew Taylor. Thank you for looking after me, thank you for being so kind and loving, thank you for being the most awesome drummer ever, thank you for bringing so much joy to the world, thank you for being you! With love, Nandi x.”