The Foo Fighters tribute concert honoring the band’s late drummer Taylor Hawkins has been nominated for an Emmy. It is one of the five nominees in the “Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Variety Series Or Special” category. Directed by Joel Gallen and produced by Emer Patten for EP-PIC Films & Creative, the concert was captured live on September 3, 2022 at Wembley Stadium in London.
Hawkins, who drummed with Foo Fighters from 1997, died in March 2022, aged 50.
The sold-out show hosted 90,000 people inside the stadium and the livestream was watched by millions around the globe. The six hour tribute concert featured performances from the Foo Fighters themselves along with Hawkins’ friends, contemporaries and his then-16-year-old son, Shane.
Liam Gallagher kicked off the night’s musical offerings, performing two classic Oasis songs with members of Foo Fighters, while Red Hot Chili Peppers‘ Chad Smith shared a touching video story.
Later, Grohl’s teenage daughter, Violet, took to the stage to perform Jeff Buckley covers, accompanied by her father, Queens Of The Stone Age and Them Crooked Vultures’ Alain Johannes and Jane’s Addiction‘s Chris Chaney.
The night saw Them Crooked Vultures reunite for the first time in 12 years, while Supergrass performed three songs for their “huge fan” Hawkins. Metallica‘s Lars Ulrich and AC/DC‘s Brian Johnson joined forces on a pair of AC/DC covers, while Mark Ronson and Violet Grohl covered ‘Valerie’.
Queen’s Brian May and Roger Taylor then joined Foo Fighters for a five-song set, while The Eagles‘ Joe Walsh led a reunited James Gang in their first live performance in 16 years. Calling them the “one band that I always associated Taylor Hawkins with”, Grohl joined the surviving members of Rush– Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson – on stage to perform a handful of the band’s biggest hits.
The final set of the night saw Paul McCartney, Travis Barker, Nandi Bushell, Rufus Taylor (son of Roger Taylor), Josh Freese and Devo join Foo Fighters on stage for ‘Times Like These’, ‘All My Life’, ‘The Pretender’, ‘Monkey Wrench’, ‘Learn To Fly’, ‘These Days’, ‘Best Of You’, ‘Aurora’, ‘My Hero’ and ‘Everlong’.