Dave Grohl paid an emotional tribute to his late friend and Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins at a star-studded tribute concert at Wembley Stadium.
Speaking at the event in London on Saturday, he said: “Taylor loved to jam and record with anybody and everybody. He loved to play music every day. And there aren’t too many people that he’s never jammed with.
“So this collection of friends and family and musicians, this is all brought together by him and we’re all connected here today by that one guy.”
The concert in memory of Hawkins, who died in March aged 50, included the first live set in 12 years of Them Crooked Vultures – the supergroup of Queens of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme, Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl, and Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones – as well as performances by Nile Rodgers, the Pretenders, Kesha and Supergrass.
Sir Elton John also paid tribute to Hawkins in a prerecorded message, telling fans: “I’m so sorry I can’t be with you tonight … I want to pay tribute to Taylor Hawkins because he was a great musician.
“He loved music. He loved playing. He loved the Foo Fighters. Tonight we are honouring his memory. So make a noise because he would love that.”
Sir Elton’s message was followed by a rendition of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, performed by Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme.
The event, streamed on MTV’s YouTube channel, was billed as a celebration of the “monolithic talent and magnetic personality” of the late musician and was the Foo Fighters’ first performance since the 50-year-old was found dead in his hotel room in Colombia in March.
A host of drummers from globally renowned bands were on the bill including Queen’s Roger Taylor, Blink-182’s Travis Barker, Metallica’s Lars Ulrich and The Pretenders’ Martin Chambers.
Hawkins’ son Shane was also due to make an appearance.
Funds from concert tickets and merchandise sales will go to the Music Support and MusiCares charities, which were selected by the Hawkins family, who helped organise the event.
Hawkins played in the Foo Fighters, fronted by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, for more than two decades, alongside Nate Mendel, Pat Smear, Chris Shiflett and Rami Jaffee, after joining in 1997.
Following his death in March, the band cancelled their upcoming tour dates as well as a planned performance at the Grammys.
The London show will be followed by a second concert on 27 September at The Kia Forum in Los Angeles, with acts such as Alanis Morissette and Chad Smith from Red Hot Chili Peppers on the bill.