The Foo Fighters' first of two all-day, all-star tributes to their late drummer Taylor Hawkins took place Saturday, September 3 at London's Wembley Stadium. It was a joyous celebration of Taylor and rock n' roll, with a cavalcade of big names joining the band for one-of-kind collaborations and performances, and more than a few surprises.
Those included: surprise guest Paul McCartney to perform The Beatles' "Oh Darlin'" and a duet with The Pretenders' Chrissie Hynde, and then "Helter Skelter"; AC/DC's Brian Johnson with Lars Ulrich on drums to perform "Back in Black" (with The Darkness' Justin Hawkins) and "Let There Be Rock"; Rush's Geddy Lee & Alex Lifeson to perform "2112," "Working Man" and "YYZ"; Brian May and Roger Taylor for a Queen set with Roger's son Rufus Taylor on drums and help from Justin Hawkins, and more; Wolfgang Van Halen with Grohl, Josh Freese and Justin Hawkins for Van Halen's "On Fire" and "Hot For Teacher"; and a reunion of Joe Walsh's The James Gang with Grohl on drums.
There was also a reunion of Them Crooked Vultures, the late-'00s supergroup of Grohl, Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme and Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones; Britpop sets from former Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher and Supergrass' Gaz Coombes; a set from The Pretenders; The Police's Stewart Copeland came out to drum with Foo Fighters for his old band's "Next to You" and "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic" (with Gaz Coombes on vocals); Nile Rodgers came out to help perform Bowie songs from Let's Dance, including the title track (with Josh Homme) and "Modern Love" (with Coombes).
Grohl's daughter, Violet Grohl, was also on hand, singing on a cover of The Zutons' "Valerie" with Mark Ronson, and covers of Jeff Buckley's "Last Goodbye" and "Grace" with Alain Johannes, Chris Chaney, Greg Kurstin and Jason Falkner.
The Foo Fighters' seven-song set featured a rotating lineup of drummers, including Josh Freese, Travis Barker, 12-year-old internet sensation Nandi Bushell, and Rufus Taylor. Grohl broke down during "Times Like These," letting the crowd sing for him before gaining his composure.
For the night's finale, following McCartney's surprise set, Foo Fighters came back out to play "Aurora" with Omar Hakim; "My Hero" with Taylor's son Oliver Shane Hawkins on drums; and "Everlong" solo from Grohl before everyone from the day came out to take a bow.
Check out photos from the Wembley Taylor Hawkins tribute by Danny Clinch, Marts Lavrinovičs, Kevin Mazur, Scarlet Page, Andreas Neumann, Oliver Haflin, and Sean Cox, as well as video and the whole setlist, below.
The second Taylor Hawkins Tribute show happens September 27 at Kia Forum.
SETLIST: Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert @ Wembley Stadium 9/3/2022
Liam Gallagher + Foo Fighters Rock 'n' Roll Star (Oasis cover) Live Forever (Oasis cover)
Nile Rodgers + Chris Chaney + Omar Hakim Let's Dance (David Bowie cover) (with Josh Homme) Modern Love (David Bowie cover) (with Gaz Coombes)
Chevy Metal Psycho Killer (Talking Heads cover) Children of the Revolution (T. Rex cover) (with Kesha)
Justin Hawkins, Josh Freese + The Coattail Riders Louise (Taylor Hawkins & The Coattail Riders cover) Range Rover Bitch (Taylor Hawkins song) It's Over (Taylor Hawkins & The Coattail Riders cover)
Wolfgang Van Halen + Dave Grohl + Justin Hawkins + Josh Freese On Fire (Van Halen cover) Hot for Teacher (Van Halen cover)
Violet Grohl, Dave Grohl + Alain Johannes + Chris Chaney + Greg Kurstin + Jason Falkner Last Goodbye (Jeff Buckley cover) Grace (Jeff Buckley cover)
Supergrass Richard III (Supergrass cover) Alright (Supergrass cover) Caught by the Fuzz (Supergrass cover)
Them Crooked Vultures Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (Elton John cover) Gunman (Them Crooked Vultures cover) Long Slow Goodbye (Queens of the Stone Age cover)
Pretenders + Dave Grohl Precious (Pretenders cover) Tattooed Love Boys (Pretenders cover) Brass in Pocket (Pretenders cover)
James Gang Walk Away (James Gang cover) The Bomber: Closet Queen / Bolero / Cast Your Fate to the Wind (James Gang cover) Funk #49 (James Gang cover) (with Dave Grohl)
Violet Grohl + Mark Ronson + Chris Chaney + Jason Falkner Valerie (The Zutons cover)
Brian Johnson + Lars Ulrich + Foo Fighters Back in Black (AC/DC cover) (with Justin Hawkins) Let There Be Rock (AC/DC cover)
Stewart Copeland + Foo Fighters Next to You (The Police cover) Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic (The Police cover) (with Gaz Coombes)
Geddy Lee + Alex Lifeson 2112 Part I: Overture (Rush cover) (with Dave Grohl) Working Man (Rush cover) (with Dave Grohl) YYZ (Rush cover) (with Omar Hakim)
Brian May + Roger Taylor + Rufus Taylor + Foo Fighters We Will Rock You (Queen cover) (with Luke Spiller) (Slow/Fast Version) I'm in Love With My Car (Queen cover) Under Pressure (Queen cover) (with Justin Hawkins) Somebody to Love (Queen cover) (with Sam Ryder) Love of My Life (Queen cover) (Brian May solo acoustic)
Foo Fighters Times Like These (with Josh Freese) All My Life (with Josh Freese) The Pretender (with Travis Barker) Monkey Wrench (with Travis Barker) Learn to Fly (with Nandi Bushell) These Days (with Rufus Taylor) Best of You (with Rufus Taylor)
Paul McCartney, Chrissie Hynde, Dave Grohl, Omar Hakim & Pat Smear Oh! Darling (The Beatles cover) Helter Skelter (The Beatles cover)
Foo Fighters Aurora (with Omar Hakim) My Hero (with Oliver Shane Hawkins) (Taylor’s Son) Everlong (Dave Grohl Solo)
