After a few months away following the tragic death of drummer Taylor Hawkins, Foo Fighters announced recently that they will return for a pair of tribute concerts in honor of Hawkins. The first of them goes down on September 3 at London’s Wembley Stadium and now we know some of the artists who will be participating in that show.
The list is full of artists whose work Hawkins admired, including Brian May and Roger Taylor of Queen, Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson of Rush, Josh Homme of Queens Of The Stone Age, Mark Ronson, Oasis’ Liam Gallagher, former Police drummer Stewart Copeland, Chris Chaney of Jane’s Addiction, Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders, Wolfgang Van Halen, members of Hawkins’ cover band Chevy Metal, Supergrass, drummer Omar Hakim, and “a special appearance” from Dave Chappelle. More artists are expected to be announced.
When the shows were initially announced, Hawkins’ wife Alison wrote in a statement, “My deepest thanks and admiration go out to the global Foo Fighters community and Taylor’s fans far and wide for the outpouring of love each and every one of you have shown our beloved Taylor. Your kindness has been an invaluable comfort for my family and me during this time of unimaginable grief. […] Taylor’s endearing spirit and deep love of music will live on forever through the collaborations he so enjoyed having with other musicians and the catalog of songs he contributed to and created. In celebration of his life, it is now up to all of us who loved him most to honor Taylor’s legacy and the music he gave us.”