Entertaintment

Oliver Hawkins Pays Tribute To His Father With The Foo Fighters 

Oliver Hawkins

The first round of memorial performances for late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins took place at Wembley Arena on Saturday, September 3. Star drummers such as Taylor Hawkins’ 16-year-old son Oliver Shane Hawkins performed during the tribute event. According to social media footage, Oliver Hawkins played the drums for the Foo Fighters 1997 iconic single My Hero. A slideshow of images of Oliver Hawkins and Taylor Hawkins played on a screen in the backdrop as he played the drums to introduce him to the audience.

Frontman Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters welcomed Shane to the stage. He stated:

“We have one more drummer coming up to perform with us, and let me tell you, I’ve never seen anybody bang the drums as hard as this individual.”

 

He continued, noting:

“But, above all, he’s a part of our family.” And he needs to be here tonight with all of us, so I believe it’s natural that he’ll come up and play with us. Please welcome Mr. Shane Hawkins on the drums, ladies, and gentlemen.”

Travis Barker, Josh Freese, Rufus Taylor, and Nandi Bushell were among those who performed at the London tribute performance.

Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters pays homage to late drummer Taylor Hawkins.

Dave Grohl, the leader of the Foo Fighters and Hawkins’ closest friend, also paid homage to the late musician in a moving statement. Grohl began the show by saying:

“Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve come here tonight to honor the life, music, and love of our beloved friend, bandmate, and brother Taylor Hawkins.”Oliver Hawkins

An emotional Dave Grohl went on to say:

“Those of you who knew him personally will recall that no one could make you grin, laugh, dance, or sing as he could. And I’m sure many of you who have adored him from afar have felt the same way.”

Later in the concert, Grohl broke down in tears mid-performance of the band’s classic Times Like These, but the fans continued to cheer him on. Taylor Hawkins’ event also included Liam Gallagher, Dave Chappelle, Stevie Nicks, Elton John, and Jason Sudeikis, all of whom gave testimonies regarding Hawkins’ effect. The next memorial performance for Hawkins will take place on September 27 at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles.

What happened o Taylor Hawkins?

Taylor Hawkins died in March of this year at the age of 50. The drummer was on tour in South America with the Foo Fighters. On March 25, the band was scheduled to play at the Festival Estereo Picnic in Bogota, Colombia. Early toxicology findings indicated that the singer had 10 psychoactive drugs in his system before he died. The Colombian Attorney General’s Office did not rule Hawkins’ death an overdose. However, early toxicology testing revealed that marijuana, tricyclic antidepressants, benzodiazepines, and opioids were among the ten chemicals identified in the artist’s system. Before his death, the musician allegedly complained of chest issues.

Taylor Hawkins

Hawkins was born in Fort Worth, Texas, and spent his boyhood in California. He rose to prominence as a drummer on Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill tour in the late 1990s. Hawkins married his long-term girlfriend Alison in 2005. Hawkins leaves behind a son, Oliver Shane, and two daughters, Annabelle and Everleigh.

Throughout his career, Hawkins contributed to eight Foo Fighters albums. There Is Nothing Left to Lose (1999), One by One (2002), In Your Honor (2005), Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace (2007), Wasting Light (2011), Sonic Highways (2014), Concrete and Gold (2017), and Medicine at Midnight (2018) were among them (2021).