It was an emotional night for everybody in Wembley Stadium as Dave Grohl approached the microphone and readied himself to sing ‘Times Like These’ knowing that his bandmate, best friend and brother in arms, Taylor Hawkins was not there to back him up.
With 75,000 fans in attendance, Grohl alongside the Foo Fighters and the great and good of the rock world paid tribute to Hawkins the only way they knew how; through the music he made and the music he loved.
Opening the concert Grohl told the packed stadium that, “Taylor loved to jam and record with anybody and everybody. 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 event featured some of rock and roll’s grandest dames. From Queen’s Brian May and Roger Taylor to Paul McCartney and Hawkins’ son, Shane, the night was charged with grief and celebration. However, perhaps the most poignant moment came when Grohl sang the always beautiful ‘Times Like These’.
Visibly shaken, Grohl struggled to sing the song’s refrain, which speaks of heartache and pain eventually clearing with the help and love of friends and family. A song built for the occasion but set up to flood the stadium with tears.
The band, playing their first show without Hawkins, subbed in drummers across a packed evening to deliver a set nobody will ever forget.
